Artifact: Eastern Fantasy
by XaeKiN
Summary: A crossover with an unpublished work. Simon MacGregor, Exorcist, chases a vampire into Gensokyo only to lose his eyes. Now that it's complete, someone tell me what I did wrong with this. Please.
1. Aurora

**Hey, Readers!:** After a rather long hiatus, some interesting events and a half-decent amount of research, I'm picking up fanfiction once more. I'm not planning on releasing this until I've finished the next couple chapters, allowing for revisions and edits. Fair warning, somewhat like my previous fic, this is a crossover of sorts with a series that has no published works.

Disclaimer here: Touhou belongs to the mortal god of drunkeness himself, ZUN. I also don't own the concepts of vampires, magic runes, dynasties, secret government agencies, or Boston. Enjoy.

**[September 2, 1987 – Chicago, Illinois – 2:03 AM]**

The bird floated down onto his arm. The sun was shining beautifully outside, leaving the trees in vivid shades of green. Simon relaxed onto the grassy hill he was on, letting out a quiet sigh as he did so. It must have startled the bird slightly, as it hopped on to his chest, making a slight buzzing sound.

"Sorry, sorry, little guy. Didn't mean to disturb you." Simon said, gently stroking the birds feathers in an attempt to sooth it. The bird looked straight into his eyes before opening its beak.

"RING, RING." It said.

Simon MacGregor woke up in a dingy second floor apartment in downtown Chicago. His phone was ringing. Groaning, he flipped over and grabbed it off the reciever.

"What the hell is it?" he asked.

The voice on the other end answered.

"Are you serious?"

The voice said a few short words.

"Shit. I'm getting up. I'll be there by..." Simon paused, looking for his watch. He pulled it off of his nightstand, and squinted at the numbers on its face. "God damn, it's only two in the morning? I'll be there by 9, I'll catch the first plane I can."

**[September 2, 1987 – Boston, Massachusetts – 9:32 AM]**

Marilyn Owen stood outside Logan International Airport, muttering to herself. Her partner, one Simon MacGregor, was running late. "When I get my hands on him... said he'd be here...GRAH!"

The last came when a man, dressed in jeans and a well worn leather jacket, walked up behind her, saying, "Sorry, security these d-"

He was cut off by her whipping around and slapping him in the face. "You're late." she said, barely raising her voice above a whisper. He began to try and continue his excuse, only to be interrupted by her speaking again. "We need to talk. There's a cafe a few blocks near here."

Simon nodded, figuring his lateness was probably the trouble. Who knows what plans she had for the half hour she wasted waiting for him?

"So, you mentioned a serial murderer?" Simon asked.

They were sitting in a small cafe on one of Boston's many alleys, seeming to anyone who cared to look as a young couple in their early twenties. While they were far from a couple, the partners worked together for a top secret government agency known internally as the UAD.

Marilyn sipped her coffee. "Special kind, just how you like them." She handed him a folder with unicorns on the front. Simon took it without question, though he took the time to raise an eyebrow in her direction.

"Office ran out, this was all they had." She shrugged. "You get to the interesting part yet?"

"Missing blood, nasty bruises to the legs?"

"You know what it means, right?"

"I get to live up to my family name. Happy days." Simon deadpanned.

"That's right. Little Simon gets to live up to his name as a vampire killer."

"It would be a lot funnier if it actually was my first." He closed the folder, and looked out the window. "Small vamp, this one."

Marilyn sat up straight. "What makes you say that?"

He turned to her before answering, "The bruises. They're on the backs of the legs, near the knees. Look at the photos." He turned back to the window.

She quickly picked up the folder, and flipped through the pictures of the photos. Sure enough, every single victim had bruises along the backs of the lower legs. "I hadn't noticed that, but how does that mean our killer's small?"

He glanced at her before looking out the window again. "Think about it, they're bruises. The killer has to be close to do that."

"So? A strong hit there will knock down just about anybody. I still don't... wait a second. We know the killer is a vampire, so they want to make the attack as clean as possible to avoid making noise and drawing attention to themselves."

Simon nodded, still looking out the window. "Good, you're on the right track."

Marilyn thought about it further. "Why bother with knocking them down? If they can get close enough to knock them down with a hit to the legs, they could just go for the neck directly. There's no need, unless..."

Simon smirked. "Unless the vampire is small, meaning that they can't reach the neck from directly behind them without making a lot of noise."

"You're an asshole. What's outside, anyways? I don't see anything out there."

"Love you too. I've got something I need to do," He pulled some money out of his wallet, then stood up. "I'll see you at the next crime scene tonight."

"Wait!" Marilyn shouted, beginning to stand up herself before noticing he had left the money on the table. She sat back down and took a closer look. It was exactly seven dollars and 36 cents. Or the exact cost of both cups of coffee, tax and tip included. "God damn it, Simon." She said to herself, before slumping down on the table.

One of the waitresses walked up to her. "Boyfriend just broke up with you there?"

Marilyn looked out the windows, noticing a leather jacket through one of the windows in a nearby apartment. "Nah, he needed to run off for something. I'm just ticked he paid the bill for me."

"Excuse me?"

Simon climbed up to the third floor of the apartment building across the alley from the cafe, and looked out from the balcony down the street. From up here, a faint stroke of color seemed to run along the street, and hung in the air. Wincing, he tapped a tattoo hidden under his sideburns, next to his eye. A symbol there glowed faintly, and then spread in front of his eyes.

The faint patch of color grew more vivid, revealing something akin to the aurora borealis running the length of the road, before making a right turn straight through some buildings. He tapped the tattoo again, deactivating the rune. Leaning against the wall, he thought of what he had read in detail, knowing Marilyn was doing much the same.

The murders started three days ago, and there had been one every night. Each corpse had lost all of its blood, as well as bruises to the backs of the legs. The consistency meant that the vampire was experienced at doing this. "Great. Not only small, but old. That's just beautiful. The aurora may not have anything to do with this, but I can't risk it." He got up, and left for his hotel room. He had some sleep to catch.

**[September 2, 1987 – Boston, Massachusetts – 10:09 PM]**

Simon arrived in front of an apartment well into the south side of Boston. Ducking the police tape, he walked in, pulling his badge out from his jacket pocket. "The fourth kill was here?"

"Yup." Marilyn walked out from around the corner. "We almost missed her."

"Caught a glimpse of our killer?"

"She flew off and ducked into an alley. Got a good look at her bat wings."

"Great. I was right, I'm assuming?"

"About her size? Yeah, she couldn't have been older than 9 when she was turned."

"I might be able to find her still. The night is young. I'll see you in a bit." He stepped into the hallway.

"You owe me a dinner for this!"

Simon laughed as he ran out of the apartment. "Don't worry, I'll be there!"

**[September 2, 1987 – Boston, Massachusetts – 11:46 PM]**

The vampire was a coward. She was willing to hunt, but not to be hunted back. Simon had managed to keep a step ahead of her for the past hour and a half, and she was running out of places to hide. Hearing his steps echo around the riverside docks, she ducked into a warehouse, and hid amongst the crates stacked there.

"Just come out and make it easier on yourself!" A voice shouted. He hadn't lost track of her. Huddling on top of her crate, she willed herself to stay still as the human below searched between the crates, holding a small blade in his hand. "I can hear you, you know!" he called out. She squeaked, and pulled her knees to her chest, shaking with fright. Simon began to climb one of the ladders. Each time he climbed up a rung, the sound echoed throughout the warehouse, scaring the vampire further. She couldn't take it anymore. Screaming, she flew down, and out of the warehouse, past Simon, who was sliding down a ladder placed next the entrance. She swung up into the night sky, and spotting a familiar glow, began to fly, awkwardly towards it, only to fall down when a blade slashed her wing.

After staring at the glowing runes along the knife's blade for a moment in shock, she grabbed it, and began running towards the bright wall of light that seemed to split the city in two. Simon followed closely behind, wondering briefly just how bright the aurora would be with his mage's sight. A white glow appeared in front of the vampire, and Simon rolled in before it could close.

Elsewhere, Marilyn looked into the sky, and saw the aurora, shining across the horizon. "SIMON!" she screamed into the night. Nothing answered her.

Both he and the vampire were now in a forest, in the middle of springtime. The vampire turned, and flew at him lopsidedly. Simon, seeing he was about to lose his entrails, ducked, almost missing the blade entirely. He screamed, blood pouring from his eye sockets, and down his face. Behind him, the vampire shakily dropped the knife, before limping off. The wound felt like it was on fire. Kneeling on the ground, he managed to activate a rune on his chest before blackness overwhelmed him, ending his pain.

Unbeknownst to him, a seemingly young woman wearing a purple dress floated along the barrier, repairing the damage caused after the latest incidents.

**[Springtime – Gensokyo - Unknown]**


	2. Blindness

**Hey, Readers!:** Chapter Two of this mess here. Hope you're enjoying it, cause this is a long one.

Disclaimer here: Touhou belongs to the mortal god of drunkenness himself, ZUN. I also don't own the concepts of witches, family legacies, blindness, or life oaths. Enjoy.

**[Springtime – Forest of Magic – Morning]**

Simon opened his eyes, and then screamed, frightened by what he saw: absolutely nothing.

"Oh god, oh god, oh god" He was stammering out whatever came to mind, still scared at being unable to see anything at all.

"Quiet! Some of us are trying to sleep up here." He heard footsteps approach him from the side – boots, judging by the sound. A warm blanket was pulled over him. He calmed down a bit. "Was that you wanted? How are you feeling?" His benefactor was a female, roughly in her late 20s judging by the voice.

Still shaking somewhat, he turned to the voice, and asked, "How long have I been out?"

"How long have you been unconscious? I found you this morning, lying in a pool of your blood. If it weren't for that rune on your chest, you would be dead."

"Glad to know that worked out alright." Simon smiled slightly before turning his head to face up. "How do I look?"

He heard something ruffle above him. Cloth, he guessed. "See for yourself." A squeaky voice said.

His smile returned a bit. "About that, I'm guessing that's a mirror above me, but I can't see at the moment." Absently, he noticed his heart was still working overtime, even if he was speaking slowly.

"What? Your eyes are wide open. Give me a moment. Hourai!" The voice had perked up at that thought, though she still didn't seem to care about her patient.

"Yes, mistress?" A squeaky voice similar to the one above him said from another room.

"Bring me a light."

"Yes!" Simon heard a soft clack, before the source of the voice returned carrying something small.

"This will do." The woman said, unfolding a small piece of paper. "Hold Still."

He saw nothing, but felt the flash of magic hit his body through the cover. Suddenly his eyes caught fire again. He began screaming, only to end moments later, when the flames died out. He couldn't hide the fear he was feeling.

"What in the world happened?" The woman said, with all the emotion of a brick wall. She was getting frustrated. He could feel magic start to pour off of her.

Trying not to think about what just happened, he quickly tried to change the subject. "What's your name?" He croaked. His voice had gone raspy from the screaming.

"What?"

"I'm curious. You're practically overflowing with magic at the moment. May as well find out the name of the magician taking care of me."

She seemed to realize what he was doing, and relaxed on a nearby seat. "I completely forgot you just woke up. I am Alice Margatroid, the seven colored puppeteer."

"Puppeteer, huh... Explains the floating voices. Animated puppets, or dolls, maybe."

"Dolls." She answered quietly before something he said caught up with her. "Wait, you're a human. You could feel the magic near me?"

"Yes, and yes." He sighed, and then immediately regretted it, feeling pain across his chest.

"Who gave you the rune on your chest?" She was alert. Something had caught her interest about him.

Simon smiled mirthlessly. "I did, about four years ago. Hurt like a s-" He was cut off by a bout of coughing. "Oh happy days, the blood's caught into the circulatory system again."

"You carved a healing rune onto your chest? I find that hard to believe."

He got the distinct feeling she was crossing her arms. "I've had training with mana runes from an early age. I've got a few more than that healing rune, even a couple I designed myself."

"Hm." She got up, and walked back over to the sofa he was left reclining on. "Does that include the tattoo on your face?" she said, touching a rune as she did so.

"That one was my grandfather's invention. It's a rune for magic... sight... Why the hell didn't I think of that?"

"What?" She said, taken aback at the sudden statement.

Simon didn't respond, and slowly moved his arm to the side of his face before gently tapping the rune there. He immediately regretted it, as his whole vision switched from pitch black to an overpowering white. "Argh!" he said, intelligently.

"What did you just do?" Alice asked.

"Turned on the magic sight rune." He said, groaning, "Now all I'm seeing is pure white."

Alice stood up. "Shanghai," she said, calling to one of her dolls he guessed. "bring some bandages." She gestured at something, "Hourai, prepare lunch."

Two squeaky voices simultaneously answered. "Yes, Mistress!"

Alice turned back to the mage she had rescued. "Sleep for a bit. We'll talk over lunch."

**[Springtime – Alice's Home – Midday]**

Simon woke to one of the dolls shaking his shoulder. "I'm awake, already." He could see vague shapes in the room around him, but everything was in shades and tones of white. It was like there was a sun set in the middle of the room. Briefly, the thought of someone powerful enough to do such a thing passed through his mind, and he shook the feeling off.

He heard Alice's boots come up to him. "I'm not familiar enough with magic runes. Are you familiar with a rune to limit energy?"

"Several. they're useful for dealing with a rampaging mage; just stick one on and problem solved, though in extreme circumstances something more violent could be used. You have an idea about my eyes."

Alice nodded. Simon could barely distinguish a humanoid shape from the glowing whiteness. "You have bandages soaked in a potion I have in stock from a fellow mage to limit the resultant power of an uncontrolled explosion. Can you see better with them on?"

Simon nodded. "Barely. You're thinking to apply a control rune or two to the bandages, then cover them up for protection?"

"Yes."

"I can probably do it. My head still hurts, but I have the distinct feeling this may solve that little problem." Simon pulled himself up, ignoring the pain in his chest, and gently unwound the outer layer of the bandage wrapped across his eyes. The brightness from before came back somewhat. Carefully, he began tracing a deceptively complex pattern across his left eye, pouring a slight amount of magic into the tip of his finger. Alice kept herself back, observing the process carefully. As soon as he finished the rune, his the world darkened, leaving the boundaries of the room in clear focus. He quickly repeated the process over his other eye. Picking up the trailing end of the bandage, he rewound it around his head, and applied runes for adhesion, as well as basic protection against physical and magical attacks.

The world was in colors of all sorts, scrambling and flowing around almost without reason. Nonetheless, Simon MacGregor could now see. He turned to Alice. She wasn't a human, judging by the magic he was seeing. A youkai perhaps, though they were supposed to be rare. Still, she was undeniably beautiful as she was. Perk of eternal youth, he guessed. "I believe you invited me to lunch?" he asked.

Alice just smiled.

Hourai, as it turned out, was rather good at preparing food, and there was a decent spread on the table. "This is delicious." Simon said, watching Shanghai and Hourai move about the table, pouring tea for the two Magicians, as well as passing food. Thin strings seemed to connect them to Alice's hands as she ate.

She noticed what he was watching. "So how well can you see with your magic sight now under control?"

Simon leaned back in his seat, then turned to his host. "Amazingly well. I'm seeing things I never could have before."

"Such as?" She sipped her Tea.

"Such as those two, for example. I was thinking of stuff more along the lines of noticing slight nuances to the magic in the air. This place is saturated with it."

"Magic? Such is the way in Gensokyo. Magicians of all sorts end up here."

Simon mentally tucked away the name she mentioned. "You hadn't kept me alive out of the generosity of your heart."

"No."

He hesitated for a moment."May I respectfully inquire as to what it was that made you curious enough to save the life of someone who was bleeding to death in the woods?"

"Curious methodology for phrasing my actions. It was the healing rune on your chest."

"I figured as much. It was one of the first things you mentioned."

"To be perfectly honest, I expected you to die anyways. Your eyes having been destroyed by a cursed weapon was a complete surprise."

"I figured they wouldn't grow back properly after the second time they burned."

"Second?" The fact caught Alice by surprise it seemed. Her magic scrambled its colors wildly for a moment, before settling down again.

"The first was when I lost them to that cursed weapon. You didn't happen to see it around, did you?"

"Ah. That explains it. I'm fairly certain that it's by the entrance, however."

"Perfectly acceptable. I'd just rather know where it is, so that it doesn't do anthing worse than it already has."

"Back to your own person."

"I'm full of interesting information, I assume."

"Indeed. You're the second human mage I've met. Speaking of which, I never did request your name."

"Simon MacGregor, at your service. ...Only the second?"

"They're rather rare, due to the lack of magic a human body can generate. Pests can often outweigh a human in terms of mana generation."

"Which makes my runic magic so interesting, as it requires very little energy to use, though several years of discipline for the basics."

"I thought as much." She finished her Tea, and handed it to Hourai, who carefully washed it before placing it in a wooden dishrack.

Simon took a proper look around Alice's house, now that he was mostly on his feet. The whole area was in shades of magenta and blue, no guesses as to what the actual color of the walls were, however. A splash of bright orange near the door caught his eye. He began to move towards it.

"Did you notice something?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact." He pulled out a small deck of seemingly blank cards, as well as a nasty looking knife. "My knife, for one. What are these?" He held the deck over his shoulder as he pocketed the knife inside his jacket pocket.

Alice grabbed them from him. "These," she said, "are my spellcards."

"Care to explain the basics?"

"Certainly. You've certainly done the same for me regarding your runes. Take a seat."

Simon sat down, seemingly completely relaxed. In truth, every part of him was on edge at the moment. Alice's magic was still raging around inside her, waiting for an outlet, and had been since he asked about the cards. His instinct seemed to be justified when a group of dolls bound his arms to his sides, leaving him motionless on the chair. He raised an eyebrow.

"First, however, You are going to answer some questions."

Simon tried to shrug, before realising the straps prevented it. "I'm not fighting it." he eventually said.

"That's well advised. First question. Where are you from?" She remained standing, and several more dolls arrived with nasty-looking blades and lances as she asked.

Simon decided to skip the sarcasm. He could probably get away with it, but not without causing some general mayhem. "I'm not from Gensokyo if that's what you're asking. My family's roots are in Europe, if you're familiar with the location."

"Several books I've read have mentioned it, but you mentioned the point we both knew. Second question: Why are you in Gensokyo?"

"Chasing a killer down. She's the one who got my eyes."

"A 'killer' destroyed your eyes with a cursed weapon that you have already mentioned was your own." It was truly amazing how a deadpan voice could be filled with sarcasm. It was practically dripping from the air.

"I made the mistake of throwing it to knock the killer out of the air. It worked, but the blade landed next to her. She picked it up."

"What can you tell me about this killer of yours? As I recall, flight isn't a common ability in the outside world."

Interesting, that meant Gensokyo was sealed from the outside. That explained the aurora's nature, but not its presence. "She's a vampire, and a coward. Wouldn't be surprised if she's native to Gensokyo, considering she was panicking and seemed to recognize the barrier we passed through."

"Your stature suggests you are a fighter. Why weren't you able to prevent her from attacking you?"

"Good question. My guess is she went full fight mode."

"Explain."

Simon raised an eyebrow at the uncharacteristically short question. "You're familiar with the idea of a stress reaction?"

"Yes, most creatures react to sudden stress by deactivating the ego for a short period of time, allowing the id to decide whether to retreat or to defend itself."

"Very textbook." Simon acknowledged before continuing, "The killer had been chased for the past hour, and, seeing no way to leave with her wing still bleeding chose to fight, rather than attempt to continue running away."

"I understand. Your story is self consistent at the very least. I'll teach you how magic works in Gensokyo, but you must promise now, before I release you, not to use cursed weapons, such as that knife on any being in the future."

"I swear on my life I shall not use a cursed weapon intentionally at any point during the remainder of my lifespan." Simon said. A brief image of a young woman holding a yellowed wooden sword between her hands appeared before him. _The Yamas have heard your promise. Remember it._

"It seems you truly intend to keep that promise. Very well." Alice said, visibly surprised.

"I take it a Yama isn't a common sight when someone swears an oath around here?"

"It would take someone honestly swearing on their life or magic." She said.

"That would, unfortunately, explain the surprise." Simon muttered as the dolls gently cut the ropes from around him, gathering up the pieces and carting them off. The armed dolls made their way back to where they had been called from.

"I believe I said I'd explain the basics of Gensokyo's spellcard system, did I not?"

"You had." Simon nodded, feeling more alert after the not wholly unexpected interrogation.

"Do you want Tea?"

"Certainly."

**[Springtime – Alice's Home – Afternoon]**

"Essentially, a spellcard is a preprogrammed spell." Alice began as they sat down at the table in the front room.

"Something akin to captured magic?" Simon inquired as he sipped at his tea.

"No, more like an image of the magic. Each spellcard is unique to the caster, though there are certain exceptions to this rule."

"It seems something like indentical twins wouldn't do it. What would?"

"Those who share souls, though such a thing is extremely rare, and I have only encountered such a situation once in my lifespan. The other is a mind reader."

"An empath?" Simon asked, "I was under the impression they were extremely rare."

"They are, though far less so in Gensokyo. However, a mindreader, or empath, to use your term, could mimic a spellcard that they, or their opponent had previously experienced, effectively duplicating the spellcard in the process. It is my understanding that such mindreaders are usually feared by society, and consequently live rather short lives."

"Not a pretty picture, that."

"Hopefully you have some idea why I am a hermit living in the woods, and consequently cannot speak as to such matters firsthand."

"I understand clearly, though I took the opposite route in my isolation."

"How so?"

"Top floor apartment, cramped room, but no one cares about anyone else. There were drug dealers on the floor below."

"I get the picture. If we refer to what we were originally discussing, spellcards are extremely personal things. They are created by the caster, either through careful focus with their magic, or in a time of desperate need."

"How common are they?"

"How do you mean?"

"How common are spellcards? Simon repeated. "Would it be reasonable to expect the average villager to have one? Or is it something more limited to powerful magicians?"

Alice fell silent for a moment, pondering the question. "It would be reasonable to expect spellcards on the person of anyone with spiritual connections, be it to a deity, magic, or being a god themselves."

"Reasonable." A thought occurred to him as he glanced out the window. Turning back to his host, he asked, "What's the normal mode of combat should it occur? I'd rather not draw too much attention."

"There you would be best served by avoiding combat, however, you should probably learn how to fight with danmaku."

"Bullet curtain?" Simon translated off the top of his head.

"Precisely. Danmaku, in practice, are small nonlethal pellets of magic."

"Now I see why you were scared of the knife."

"It's cursed to be incredibly lethal, and such things are not allowed in Gensokyo by any of the powers that be. It's simply better for everyone that way. Easier to fight for longer, easier to start a fight, easier to end it, easier to pick up the pieces afterwards."

"Everybody wins. Now if only the outside would accept a perspective like that." Simon was just thinking out loud at this point.

He turned back to Alice. "You're thinking bullets of this nature?" He asked, conjuring a small round of mana from the surrounding air and tossing it towards a wall, where it disappeared leaving nothing behind.

"Precisely that. Where did you learn it from?" She was genuinely curious, he realized.

"My grandfather taught me for the sake of practicing aim against mobs. Wasting energy is deadly in a situation like that."

"Especially given the lack of ambient energy."

"You understand." He paused. "It's almost nightfall. Anything more I should know before I leave?"

"Keep an eye out. Some youkai eat humans."

Simon laughed. "I'll watch my back."


	3. Caverns

**Hey, Readers!:** Objective, check. Character, check. Plot, just getting started. Here's hoping you're enjoying this, because I'm building up a huge buffer to work with.

Disclaimer here: Touhou belongs to the mortal god of drunkenness himself, ZUN. I also don't own the concepts of youkai , sake , caverns , or empathy. Enjoy.

**[Springtime – Forest of Magic – Nighttime]**

Simon took an opportunity to look up at the night sky, and smiled. Even at night, the barrier covering the sky seemed to glow with an intense heat. Various stars could be barely seen through the glow it provided.

The Forest of Magic was just that – Magic. The entire area was completely saturated with it, leaving every single leaf highlighted in clear detail. It seemed that he would see just as clearly in nighttime as he would in daytime. 'Useful.' He reflected. Such things could turn a fight when it happened. After some more short words with Alice, he had left her so she could try and get some of the sleep his presence had prevented. The path made itself known as a stripe of ground lacking magic and life, but he decided to simply pick a direction and head that way.

Naturally, this lead to complications. A young youkai, bearing the appearance of an eight year old girl, had been flying aimlessly in the dark, confusing herself with her own abilities. Simon simply sidestepped her when she had come by, although he had noticed several other young youkai keeping an eye on him. As he passed by a house without any lights on, he heard muffled discussion from behind him.

"We can take him." One of the youkai said. Her voice was light, but she kept it under tight control.

"The human will never hear us coming!" another said in a loud voice. Simon groaned under his breath. That youkai obviously wasn't the brightest.

"Is that so?" the third voice spoke with an undercurrent of darkness. The odds were pretty good that she was the youkai who couldn't see through her magic.

"Do you say anything other than that, Rumia?" The controlled voice asked.

"Occasionally." Rumia answered, giggling to herself.

"Really?" The second voice asked. "I never would have realized it if you hadn't just said so!"

"Is that so?"

The first voice sighed. "False alarm. Rumia still can't say more that 'is that so' over and over again. Cirno, stay quiet, you'll give us away."

"That won't matter, I'm the strongest fairy in Gensokyo. Nothing could stop me."

He tuned them out.

A voice from ahead of was trying to shout under her breath. "It's spring, it's spring, it's spring!" she was saying to herself, spreading danmaku around.

Simon called out to her, "Do you like spring?"

The source of the voice came into view. She was a small fairy. The area around her was flourishing under the barrage of danmaku fire, flowers blooming despite the lack of sunlight. Pausing, she looked straight at him, a happy smile spread across her face. "It's SPRING!" She shouted, tackling him.

As it turns out, a fifty pound weight hitting one's chest does wonders for knocking someone down, or breaking newly healed ribs. Simon smiled anyway. Hiding a grimace, he looked down at the cheerful fairy on his chest. "Should I take that as a yes?"

"It's Spring!" she cheered.

A door opened behind him. He looked up to see two youkai and a fairy looking around the now open door to the house he had passed by. He made a mental correction, 'Never mind, they're all stupid."

The inside of the house lit up with magic for a moment, as a voice inside began mumbling. Simon closed his eyes as a bright laser threw the three unfortunate youkai into the woods. A witch stepped out in the classic garb, her magic swirling into a haphazard mess of black and white. "Let's see what they were watching. Might even be fun, ze."

She noticed him lying on the ground, with the fairy on his chest. "Lily! It's been a while. Whatcha sitting on?"

Simon spoke up. "She's sitting on me." Lily White bounced on his chest, cheering. "It'd be kinda nice to let my ribs heal this time, though."

The witch frowned, and snapped her fingers above his head. "Why'd you get bandages over your eyes. You get kidnapped or something?"

"Nah, just can't see without them. Mind lending me a hand?"

"Mind lending me your name, first?"

Simon laughed. "My name's Simon."

The witch chuckled. "Call me Marisa." she said, crouching down and offering a hand. Simon gratefully accepted it, pulling himself up with Lily hanging on to his jacket. He carefully pulled her off of his jacket, before placing her on the ground next to him. She flew off after a moment, going back to throwing danmaku around while repeating her news for all to hear.

He turned to the witch. "I thought you were asleep earlier. There didn't seem to be too much going on inside.

Marisa grinned at her unexpected company. "I was asleep, ze. The Nineball and her friends triggered an alarm when the opened the door."

"Always worth protecting your home, huh?"

"Exactly, da ze! Only other person I know who does it is Alice, and she doesn't like anybody."

"Not when it comes to magic." Simon mentioned, thinking of his experiences earlier that day.

Marisa scoffed. "She's a magician youkai. She'll talk about magic til she can't breathe. How'd you meet her?"

"Earlier today she pulled me out of a puddle of my own blood." He shifted his shoulders, wincing at the pain across his chest.

Marisa froze. "You weren't joking about the broken ribs, ze. You shouldn't have left at night."

Simon shrugged. "I can't tell."

Marisa looked at him oddly for a moment. "You mean you can't tell it's night right now?"

Simon nodded. "For all I can see, the sun's well into the sky. I'm somewhat blind at the moment."

"Then why not take off the bandages, ze? There's no wound there."

"Outside of my wrecked eye sockets, nope, no wounds up there." he smirked a bit. "They got a nasty cut with a cursed weapon."

"Who cut them?"

"Don't know her name. A small vampire with bat wings got me with my own knife."

Marisa drew something from her apron pocket. "your own knife?" She repeated.

"Please don't. I'm still recovering from an unexpected fairy to the chest. Yes, it's my knife. It is indeed a cursed weapon, and I intend to destroy when I have access to a workshop with the tools I need."

"Why destroy your own knife?"

"I made an oath not to use any cursed weapon."

"So why didn't you destroy it earlier?" Marisa didn't believe him, "Alice's house would have plenty of power."

Simon pulled the blade from his jacket pocket. "see for yourself. The runes require a massive amount of power to destroy, yes, but they also require an incredible amount of control to route it through. Otherwise I'd just blow myself up, and likely the building was in. My workshop back home has both power and a system for keeping under tight control. Until then, I intend to prevent it falling into the hands of anyone else. Have I explained myself enough to avoid getting a giant laser to the face?"

"Fights here have started over less, ze." She placed her weapon back into her apron. "Be careful what you mention to who."

"I'll do that." He was about to continue walking when something tickled the back of his mind. Something Alice had said was connecting with one of Marisa's statements. "Hold on a second. You said something about Alice being a youkai magician."

"Of course she is, da ze! You saw those dolls she has, yeh? That's magic on a short leash."

"Magic on a short leash," Simon repeated, "I like that. No, I meant that you are a magician yourself, but you specified youkai magician in particular. I'm curious if you're the human magician she mentioned also living in the woods."

"Cute witch Marisa Kirisame, ze."

"Heh. Not what I was expecting. I'll be on my way."

Marisa smirked. "Careful with your ribs, Simon. Hope you make it home alright."

"I intend to!" He called behind him, before resting his hands in his jacket pockets and continuing on his path.

**[Springtime – Hakurei Shrine – Early Morning]**

A shrine maiden was sipping Tea in the front of the shrine, watching the clouds.

"A storm will be here soon. I guess I won't see what Alice was talking about until tomorrow."

She was still worried. The idea of something that could break the spellcard rules in Gensokyo was a troubling one. She shook her head and returned to her Tea.

**[Springtime – Outside the Forest of Magic – Early Morning]**

The storm had already hit the forest where Simon was. The wind was strong enough that small sticks were flying from the forest in all directions. Regardless of location, nature still proved to be the most impressive thing one could witness.

Simon was broken from his thoughts when a surprisingly large branch crashed next to his feet. Spinning around, he noticed faint waves of magic rolling from the mouth of a nearby cave. Figuring that he was a lot less likely to get killed by a falling branch with a solid layer of rock above his head, he made a break for the cave entrance, only to be slowed by the wind coming from the entrance. He pushed himself in, refusing to let it keep him from reaching a safe haven within.

**[Springtime – The Underground – Early Morning]**

Fairies began to swarm the entrance, firing danmaku in huge amounts. Cursing under his breath, Simon took cover in one of the many alcoves the cavern provided. "She wasn't kidding about fights starting over less, they just started shooting.

Carefully, he fired danmaku of his own at the fairies, one for each. It wasn't like anything that missed would damage anything, it was just good practice. They dropped soon enough, giving him a chance to rush down the corridor, hopefully far enough that he could get past whatever was causing the wind near the entrance. As he rounded one last corner, the wind stopped, leaving him with the sight of a beautiful village celebrating below, snow falling from the roof of the immense chamber.

A voice came from behind him. "Sightseeing?"

Simon sat down, relaxing on the edge of the cliff. "Sure."

The source of the voice moved closer. "It's a pretty village, isn't it?"

Simon nodded. "That it is."

"So," the voice continued, "why don't you pay it a visit?" Whoever she was, she was definitely female. Simon briefly wondered if there were any males in Gensokyo. "Of course there are. You're silly." Simon blinked. He hadn't said that out loud. Had he? "You hadn't." The voice said.

"Alright," Simon said, turning around, "now I'm curious. What's your name?"

The girl's magic all seemed to be concentrated in a third eye, connected to her in several places. Her colors seemed to range from blue to green in a simple flow. " I'm Koishi." She flopped down next to him.

"I'm Simon, good to meet you."

"I can tell."

Simon chuckled. "What else can you tell about me?"

"You're looking for things. You can find help for some of them here. The others are elsewhere." Koishi picked up a rock and began balancing it on her nose.

"I wasn't aware I was looking for more than one thing."

"Well now you are."

Wonderful bit of logic, that. Simon had the distinct impression she'd be smirking if she wasn't concentrating on holding the rock in place. "So what should I do, then?"

"Talk to my sister, of course."

Simon smiled. His visitor really did act like a child.

"Hey! You're visiting me, not the other way around."

Simon nodded to acknowledge the correction. He still didn't know where her sister would be.

"She's down there." Koishi got up, and put the rock back where she had found it. "Bye!"

She disappeared in front of his eyes.

Simon shrugged. He'd seen weirder on the job, which, technically, he still was. Ignoring the sensation he was being laughed at, he began to climb down the cliff face, taking the safest route he could see.

**[Springtime – Hakurei Shrine - Noontime]**

Marisa burst into the shrine, dripping water from every surface. Reimu raised an eyebrow at her friend. "You could've stayed in, couldn't you?"

"But then you'd have missed me, ze!" the witch said, before closing the door behind her and sitting down.

Reimu got up. "I'll go make tea. What's the real reason you're here?"

Marisa scratched her head, grinning. "You know me too well, Reimu. My house collapsed. Could I stay for a bit, ze?"

Reimu calmly pulled a mat out from a closet, before returning to the kitchen.

**[Springtime? - Oni Village – Noontime]**

Simon briefly wondered if snow was common during springtime in Gensokyo. Certainly, storms like the one from before weren't exactly common in the outside world. Even so, snowfall half a mile under ground seemed ridiculous. There was a celebration of some sort going on, though, so maybe he was just lucky.

People with thoroughly red or blue magic were drinking sake at an amazing rate, gathered into large circles scattered everywhere. The snow made very nice offset to the chaotic party. Carefully, he stepped closer to one of the circles. One of the drinkers was shouting excitedly. "Hey, c'mon Parsee, drink up, it's a party!" She slapped the youkai she was speaking to on the back repeatedly, before going back to drinking her own sake. Simon chuckled to himself at the display. They were certainly a happy bunch. The same oni from before looked up and noticed him. "Hey, you! C'mon, share a drink!" Some of the other oni also beckoned him over. Sighing, he sat down and smiled. "So," the oni said, giving him a look over, "what are you here for?"

Simon thought on what had gotten him underground in the first place. He looked her the eyes, and noticed she was deathly serious about his response, even as she was smiling and sipping her sake. He had come chasing a vampire into another world, only to lose his eyes, figure out how to keep magical sight as a constant, been directly threatened by at least three people, and had sworn on his life to destroy the weapon he had hanging in a pocket inside his jacket. The oni was offering him a chance to party the night away depending on his response. 'Fuck it.' He thought. "Do I need a reason to join a party? Pour me a drink." He said.

Must have been the right response. The oni laughed, her magic quieting down to a clear red, and handed him a cup filled with sake.

**[Springtime – Oni Village outskirts – Morning]**

Simon woke up leaning against a house with a massive headache. Resisting the urge to puke, he slowly pulled himself up, and steadied himself against the building. He struggled to remember last night. Must have been one hell of a party, whatever it was. Memories clicked into place. 'Oh, right. I'm stuck in another world, hunting down a vampire who destroyed my eyes with my own cursed weapon. When did my life get so surreal?' Groaning, he stumbled onto the main road, only to trip and fall. Spitting gravel out of his mouth, he shook himself and stood back up. He noticed a mansion in the distance. If the sister wasn't there, the person there might at least have an idea. He turned and began walking, taking his time. The headache still hurt like a bitch.

His thoughts were interrupted as he ran into a rather large pair of breasts. Looking up, he saw the oni he had been drinking with before. "Hi there." He said, smiling.

The oni laughed. "Can't let you pass through here, kid."

"That's fine." Simon waved her off. "I'm not sure where I'm headed at the moment anyway." He leaned against the railing, looking across the river, which was aglow with magic.

"You know, kid, you're really something. Most humans couldn't keep up with an oni long as you did." she commented, leaning against the same railing.

"Eh." he replied, "I needed a drink right about then. Not so sure about the rest, though."

"Hangover?" the oni chuckled.

"Yeah." Simon nodded sheepishly. "What's your name, anyway? I don't think I caught it during the party."

"I'm Yuugi. You?"

"Simon."

She extended a hand, smiling and saying "nice to meetcha."

He shook it, smiling himself. "Same here."

"Whatcha looking for, Simon?" Yuugi asked, sipping from a dish filled with sake.

"Quite a few things. Knowledge, a way home, my eyes."

Yuugi snorted. "You lost your eyes? Just, lost them one day and are trying to get them back? I mean, I've heard of stupid stuff, but..."

Simon laughed. "Nah,I'm not getting 'em back anytime soon. Doesn't stop me from missing them, though."

She looked at him carefully. "You're a strange kid. So you're blind right now?"

He shrugged. The hangover was wearing off pretty quickly with the conversation going on. "Not so much blind. I just can't see. Don't really need to, I guess."

She laughed. "Whatcha use instead?" she asked, smiling.

"I'm just seeing magic." he said, "Thinking on it, it's pretty useful."

"Pretty much everything's magic around here, It does seem useful. How didja lose your eyes?" It suddenly occurred to Simon he was being interviewed, even though it was a casual conversation between drinking buddies. Didn't really matter, though.

"Long story. Short of it is that I was chasing someone, and they turned around."

She raised an eyebrow. "What's the rest of the story?"

"Well, the person I was chasing down had killed four people, and I was supposed to make sure there isn't a fifth." he deadpanned.

"Ah."

"And she destroyed my eyes with my own knife. I'm destroying it when I get the chance."

"Ah. I'm seeing a picture here." Yuugi had gotten serious. "Where are you headed now?"

Simon turned to face her directly, standing as he did so. "Finding information, I think. I'm gonna follow the advice I got when I came here."

"Advice? From who?"

"A nice girl up there. Told me to find her sister. She called herself Koishi, I believe."

"You met Koishi? She's normally pretty shy. Doesn't like people very much. Her sister's pretty similar. You can find her on the other side of this bridge."

He caught the edge to the last statement. "You still have a job to do, however."

"Exactly. You've proven you can be dangerous. I can't just let you through."

"You're saying I'd have to fight my way across?"

"A danmaku duel would settle the matter, yes. I win, you stay here. You win, you continue along the path." She settled into something resembling a combat stance.

"Pity we have to fight. Any other rules I should be aware of?"

Yuugi grinned. "Two spellcards each. Knockout is victory."

"Fair enough." Simon smiled himself, and backed up a few steps to the edge of the bridge. His first spellcard duel. This was going to be interesting.


	4. Discussion

**Hey, Readers!:** Sorry about the cliffhanger. For such a violent place as Gensokyo, you'd think Simon would have gotten into a couple fights by this point, especially given how rude he can be. Really, if you think about it, he's alright, but he's a massive troll. I guess he's good at talking his way out of things.

Disclaimer here: Touhou belongs to the mortal god of drunkenness himself, ZUN. I also don't own the concepts of apathy, duels, unwarranted fear, or Tea. Enjoy.

**[Springtime with Snow – The Oni Village – Late Morning]**

Simon had never been good at fights. Back when he was a kid living with his grandfather, he'd get kicked around by bullies, and end up coming home with bruises all over. When he tried to fight back, they'd leave him bleeding on the ground. The oni in front of him practically oozed power. It wouldn't be too surprising if she could rip the caverns apart with a single blow. So why wasn't he worried about fighting her in a duel?

Yuugi grinned, and began firing blue danmaku in all directions, forcing him to back off, only to run in circles when the danmaku began to bounce back, splashing against his jacket. He jumped back to his feet, and began firing danmaku of his own straight at her. She responded by throwing out large rocks which then fired lasers in all directions. He tapped runes on the backs of his hands, and felt a magic shield form in front of him. The lasers were only deflected slightly, however, and he was thrown to the ground from the force of the attacks.

Still, he wasn't worried.

Simon pulled himself back up, smiling to himself as he brushed some of the dirt from his jacket. Looking up at Yuugi, he began chuckling as he fired danmaku back at her, forcing her to dodge. She seemed to draw something from her shirt, before he was blinded by a white light. He could barely make out what she was saying over the huge bubbles of magic she began firing. _"Mysterious Ring – Hell's Wheel of Pain!"_ She began firing large bubbles of magic at him, while spraying light amounts of danmaku to either side. He shot the bubble out of reflex, only to find that it popped, and the remains clustered into a single bullet that hit him in the side, throwing him down once more.

He spit out a glob of blood from the impact, and pulled himself up out of the way of another bubble. Looking across the bridge at his opponent, she wasn't smiling anymore. Something was starting to piss her off. Maybe she'd be serious, then. He opened fire at her again to try and give himself some breathing room, only to notice that she just took the hits, shrugging off the damage. His mind barely understood that she had just thrown a rock at his chest before it hit him, breaking two ribs. He pulled himself to his feet again, only to collapse to his knees as a pain shot through his chest. He screamed as the pain of the past five minutes hit him at once, and clutched his chest in pain.

He wasn't worried because he couldn't feel the pain.

He forced himself to his feet anyway, breathing hard. Raising his hand, he tried to draw a rune in the air, only for his magic to fail, and he collapsed to his knees again. He felt something appear in his hand, and raised it in front of him, saying the words that came into his head. _"Rune Sign – Explosive Touch!"_

The card flashed into brilliant light, and when he could see, there was a bright laser coming from his hand. Acting on instinct, he aimed it at Yuugi hitting her leg. An explosion threw her to the ground, where she got up, seemingly unharmed. He targeted her again, knowing that he wouldn't be able to keep up this last ditch effort for long. The beam never reached her, disappearing before it ever reached her. He began firing danmaku as best he could, one at a time at the oni who seemed to have sped up, despite only walking along the ground in front of the bridge. His danmaku were disappearing almost as soon as he fired them.

Yuugi slapped him across the face. Raising his head, he managed to remain conscious, blood dribbling out of the corner of his mouth. He tried to raise his hand and use an explosive rune to throw her away, only for her to step on his arm. "The fight is over, Simon." Her voice was cold, and his magic sight was starting to blur everything together. "You lost."

"You haven't knocked me out." He spat out, trying in vain to push her off of his arm.

"That changes nothing. I had thought you might be brave, a human daring to fight an oni." Yuugi was clearly pissed off. Simon could feel magic rolling off of her, even if his magic sight couldn't make anything out. "You're pathetic. You were cocky enough to think that you could still win with your bones broken!"

"That doesn't matter to me." He said, trying to use his other arm to pull himself out from under her leg. It wasn't working any better than anything else he had tried.

"Picking a fight with one of the strongest creatures alive while you are still recovering from losing your eyes, have at least two ribs cracked, and are rapidly running out of energy to live with doesn't matter to you?"

Huh. That had pissed her off. Simon could feel the bones in his arm start to give way beneath her sandal. "No it fucking doesn't!" He shouted. "I'm a little too preoccupied with trying to stop a vampire that's already killed at least four people from killing any more, figuring out how to destroy weapons that I had designed to be impossible to destroy, and keeping promises I had sworn to uphold to be concerned with something like a broken rib, or the feelings of my opponent on the matter!"

She slapped him again, sitting with a leg under her on his lap, leaving her other leg still pushing down on his arm. He barely kept himself awake, spitting out more blood onto the ground. "You don't value your own life for anything? No, it's worse. You don't value any life. It just doesn't matter to you."

He glared as best he could, unable to raise his head. She smacked him again. "Sleep. We're going to have a very long talk when you wake up." He never heard the words.

**[Springtime – Hakurei Shrine – Mid Afternoon]**

Marisa's head shot up as she heard the door to the shrine open. She had been resting her head, trying to think of a good way to protect her home against any further storms, when Alice had walked in, shaking some small twigs from her unusually messy hair. Marisa leaned back towards the kitchen. "Reimu, Alice just walked in!" she shouted.

"What?" The shrine maiden responded, walking out herself. "Oh, hello Alice. Feel free to sit down. You here about that guest you wanted me to see?"

"He left my house on his own." Alice responded, sitting down next to Marisa. "I'm here about that, but I'll need shelter for a few days. My roof caved in under the weight of the branches. The storm's gone by this point, however."

"Well, at least that's out of the way. Not sure why everyone seems to think the shrine is a shelter for wandering people, though." Reimu placed two cups of Tea on the table, before getting up and apologizing. "I'm sorry, I need to pour myself a cup." She hurried back into the kitchen, muttering under her breath about unexpected guests showing up at the most annoying times.

"What's this about a guest, ze?" Marisa asked, looking at the magician.

"You are aware I help travelers who get lost in the forest, Marisa." Alice said, calmly sipping her Tea.

Marisa chuckled. "Exactly. You don't mention every guest you have to Reimu."

"Of course I don't. That would be little more than a sheer waste of effort on my part, not to mention disturbing our host." She nodded towards Reimu as the shrine maiden sat down across from the two.

"So why mention this one, ze?" Marisa insisted, smiling.

"Because he might be part of an incident. She had mentioned a cursed weapon near him, and major wounds that he was barely surviving." Reimu said, focusing her eyes on Alice. "He left on his own?"

"Yes." Alice said, nodding. "You might be interested in this too, Marisa. He was a human magician. He had carved the rune on his chest that had kept him alive himself."

Marisa straightened up at that. "Did he leave at night, da ze?"

Alice blinked in surprise. "Indeed he had. Do you believe you encountered him? Where?"

Marisa could feel both Reimu and Alice staring at her intently. "He was walking past my house. Ran into the Nineball and some of her friends. We had a little chat."

Alice nodded while Reimu spoke up. "Cirno, Wriggle, Mystia, and Rumia? Did anyone else show up?"

Marisa nodded. "Team Nine decided to hide behind my door. Woke me up, and I threw 'em out. Only other one there was Lily White, who had been sitting on his chest for a bit is my guess. He mentioned having broken ribs."

"They were broken when I found him. He said the cursed weapon, a knife with runes all over it, belonged to him." Alice said.

Reimu frowned. "We should stop him immediately, then."

"No need just yet. He swore on his life not to use any cursed weapon intentionally." Alice said, gently tugging on Reimu's sleeve.

Reimu sat back down. "You saw the Yama?"

"That was how I knew it was a full life oath. If he breaks that oath, he'll die."

"He swore on his life without thinking?" Marisa said, "Scary thought."

Alice turned to her. "He's not going to break the oath more than once. If he does, he'll die right there."

Reimu got up, and pulled out her other spare mat. "Then we'll investigate later. Neither of you has a home at the moment, and you, Alice, need rest. You have been running at full speed for a couple days."

Alice shook her head. "Before that, there are some other things that need to be discussed." She motioned back to the table, and finished her Tea.

**[Springtime with Snow – The Oni Village – Late Afternoon]**

"He's awake." A young girl's voice called. Simon struggled to open his eyes, before remembering he had lost them two days ago. He tapped the area next to his eyes, reactivating his magic sight after it deactivated to save his life. He was in one of the homes in the Oni Village, he guessed, judging by the wooden ceiling. The structure seemed like classic Japanese styling. That girl's voice had sounded vaguely familiar. Who was it?

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a large person walking into the room. He tried sitting up, only to be pushed back down by a young girl, with a third eye connected to various spots. "You must be Koishi's sister. She told me to find you..." he trailed off, noticing something familiar in the satori's third eye. The eye looked at his face, and he suddenly realized what looked so familiar about it. He was looking at his own reflection.

"If you're done staring at miss Satori's third eye, kid, we need to talk." Simon shook his head, and turned to face Yuugi. "When did you stop caring about life, Simon?" She had a bowl of sake, per her usual, and was glaring at him across it.

He wasn't sure when he had lost his interest in life. Why was an easier question to answer. He opened his mouth, only to be interrupted by the girl. "He doesn't remember that, only why he had."

"So what was it?" Yuugi asked, a growl starting to form at the back of her throat. "It just ain't right to not care."

No, no it wasn't. Figuring he had an opportunity to rest his throat a bit at bare minimum, he brought to mind his feelings about killing when he was a child.

**[July 1963 – Cardiff, England – 8:21 PM]**

The demon curled up into the corner, crying. It's tears mixed with the blood slowly seeping from the gash in its side. Simon stood off to the side, clutching the knife he had used to defend himself. His grandfather's muttering next to him was muted, along with everything else. The crying demon seemed to be the only thing in the world.

His grandfather, Victor MacGregor, had brought him to Cardiff as part of his training in exorcism. He hadn't expected having to fight an ancient demon lord, as well as its family. Sparks lit the dark alley as Victor's claymore clashed against the demon lord's black blade. They were fighting around the dead body of the Demon Lord's mate, and several of his children. The child had tried to protect his mother from the blade, but only succeeded in being injured himself. Flames engulfed the demon lord, as it fell screaming to the ground. The screaming stopped after a wet thud. Simon didn't look. He was still staring into the crying eyes of the demonic child. He grabbed Victor's pant leg as the old man walked past, preparing to finish off the last of the demons who had entered through a portal from hell.

Victor looked down at his grandson. "What is it, Simon?"

Simon finally broke his eyes away from the young demon. "Grandpa, why does he have to die?"

Victor kneeled down, sheathing his sword. "I want to end his suffering. He's bleeding to death."

Simon shook his head. "That's not it. Why did he have to get hurt at all? He didn't want to fight."

"Sometimes," Victor said, "A life must be taken to save another. The child tried to save his mother from harm."

"But why was his mother fighting you, then?"

"She was trying to protect her family. Demons of this sort often have extremely strong family bonds."

"So why did they fight, grandpa?"

Victor hid his tear-stained face from Simon as he stood up. "They wanted to save each other from us."

Simon couldn't hold back his own tears, "We didn't want to fight them, did we?"

His grandfather walked to the end of the alley, and ended the child's whimpering with a burst of flame from his hand. "Sometimes, Simon, it is better to kill innocents. Had these demons been let loose in the city, they would have killed dozens of innocent families. All we can do is keep them from getting in." He knelt in front of his grandson, and laid his hands on Simon's shoulders. "Please understand; it was necessary."

**[Springtime with Snow – The Oni Village – Late Afternoon]**

He hardened his heart after that. He couldn't let creatures attack innocents, but he never lost his childish view on all creatures being equal. So the only way he could handle both being true and function was to not value life at all. Satori relayed everything, her face seemingly bored. Simon watched her purple and blue magic concentrate near her face. She was a whirl of emotions underneath a faked expression of boredom. He was probably one of the few people who would accept her being what she was without fear. It wasn't because he didn't value life, he tried to explain, as he activated the healing rune on his chest.

He saw tears running down his face reflected in her third eye. "Please don't cry for me, miss Satori. I don't matter that much." Simon whispered aloud before he fell asleep again, dreaming of the joy he had shared, playing with the ghost of a young boy in his father's basement, many, many years ago.

**[Springtime – Hakurei Shrine – Late Afternoon]**

"He's not from Gensokyo." Alice said as Reimu sat down.

"You are certain of this?" Reimu said, leaning over a fresh cup of Tea.

"He wasn't able to recognize my spellcards when he saw the deck. When I explained that combat in Gensokyo was nonlethal as an enforced rule, he made the oath."

"That quickly?" Marisa asked.

Alice nodded. "That's why I'm worried. It was a full life oath, and he made it with the intent to follow it through as soon as he understood why I wanted him to. He doesn't value his own life."

"He didn't seem to care too much about having multiple broken ribs, either." Marisa added.

"So he's not dangerous because he's not from here, then." Reimu said, nodding slowly. "You're saying he's dangerous because he simply does not care about himself, nor others. That's not good."

"No, no it isn't. The other thing that I want to bring up is the storm." Alice said.

"What about it?" Reimu asked, "You're already living here until you can rebuild your house."

"Not that. That storm wasn't natural. I don't know who summoned it, but someone did, and they did it for a reason. We don't know what that reason could be, and we very much need to know."

"You're thinking it could happen again, da ze?" Marisa asked, clearly worried.

"I think it's likely." Alice said, before laying down on the floor and falling asleep, her dolls tucking her in before falling down onto the floor next to her shoulders.

**[Springtime with Snow – The Oni Village – Midnight]**

Simon was still asleep inside. Yuugi hadn't said a word since she had heard his story from Satori. The kid had a fucked up childhood. Satori had related other formative incidents from throughout his life to know. He cared for others still, despite what he tried to tell himself. His father had done his best to shelter him from the supernatural, but when he disappeared one day, his grandfather had been there to take care of him, flooding him with information about runic magic and the supernatural. The old man was trying to make sure the art he had studied would survive, and hadn't realized what he was doing to his offspring in the process.

"Shit. How can someone mess up their kids so much?" Yuugi said, staring into her sake.

"By simply not noticing who they are." Satori said, coming out from the room he was in, and sitting down next to the oni. "Don't blame yourself what his grandfather had done." A black cat jumped into her lap. She glanced down at it before stroking her and continuing, "Simon is a child, still. He sees no harm in anyone, regardless of what they are."

"Still, he's a messed up kid to force himself to not feel pain. No one should do that."

The cat stepped off of Satori's lap, swishing its two tails before walking into the room. She turned back to Yuugi. "He might have done better than he thought, to go to the underground."

"Howdya mean?" the oni said, sipping at her sake.

"He needs a huge amount of raw power to destroy his knife. You remember the little incident from the fall, don't you?"

"Huh. That, I wouldn't have guessed. That's an interesting idea you got, though."

Inside, the cat had curled up under Simon's heavily bandaged arm, waking him up. He scratched the cat behind her ears and smiled softly. It had been a long time since he had let himself relax.


	5. Examination

**Hey, Readers!:** Been reading Jojo's Bizarre Adventure recently. Was slightly upset to learn my whole "dynasty of interesting characters" schtick had been done before. And is in fact a trope. Oh well. Anyone notice my disclaimers?

Disclaimer here: Touhou belongs to the mortal god of drunkenness himself, ZUN. I also don't own the concepts of cats, nuclear weapons, investigation, or death wishes. Enjoy.

**[Springtime with Snow – The Oni Village – Morning]**

Simon woke up to see a young girl with cat ears and two tails yawning outside the open door. A few snowflakes swirled into the room as a light breeze went by. The girl yelped as one landed in her ear. He chuckled. It was a peaceful day here, at least.

Fate has a nasty habit of knocking hope down when it's amusing. Yuugi had chosen that very moment to push her way past the catgirl and check up on how he was doing, knocking her down in the process. Simon winced at the sound of her hitting the snow. Yuugi turned around to face her. "Sorry, Orin. You all right?"

"I'm okay." Orin said as she hopped back to her feet. "What did ya knock me over for, anyway!"

"It was an accident." Yuugi casually responded, stepping back outside.

"Bullshit! Ya knocked me into the snowpile! Ya don't do that by accident!" She spun on her heel, and stalked off towards a wheelbarrow left near the entrance, which she heaved into the road, before running off.

"Here I thought only my grandpa's cat was like that." Simon said, smiling at the exchange.

"Huh?" Yuugi asked.

"Grandpa's cat loved running from place to place. Got itself into a lot of trouble that way. Would never accept the blame though. Everything was always someone else's fault." He said.

"Sounds like Orin, all right. This the same grandfather that raised you?" She asked.

"Yeah. The other one died before I was born." He tried to stretch in place, only to wince as pain shot across his chest. "Guess I'm not going very far for now."

"You shouldn't be going anywhere until you're healed." Satori said as she entered the room.

Simon nodded in her direction. "Hello, miss Satori."

"Greetings. Have you heard from your sister?"

"I rarely hear from her these days. Not since before the incident with Utsuho."

She didn't want to talk about her sister, then. He didn't know an Utsuho, though.

"Utsuho is one of my pets, like Rin."

"The cat from before is your pet?" Simon said, trying to clarify her words.

Satori nodded, knowing Simon would recognize the motion despite his lack of sight.

Yuugi checked the bandages around Simon's body, nodded, and left without a word. Simon stared after her, wishing he could join her.

"Rest for now." Satori said, standing up. "You need it."

Simon took her advice.

**[Springtime – Hakurei Shrine – Morning]**

Marisa woke up to find that Alice and Reimu were already up and talking.

"We should go to the Youkai Mountain first. Tenshi probably did it." Reimu was saying.

Alice shook her head. "Doubtful. A storm on that scale had to have been summoned by an extremely powerful magician. Your celestial friend was only able to connect the weather to the personalities of those on the surface."

Marisa calmly got dressed, stealing an orange from the kitchen as she did so, and continued listening in on the two.

"She wasn't trying to cause serious harm then," Reimu responded, "Even she didn't do it, she probably knows who did."

"It is quite unlikely that she would ever see one on the ground, and in any case, Patchouli the same argument works for suggesting a visit to the Scarlet Devil Mansion."

Marisa finished her orange while the two bickered, and after disposing of the evidence, spoke up. "Wait a sec, you two. Alice, you think Patchouli mighta caused the storm, and you, Reimu, think it's Tenshi's fault."

"Yes..." both answered.

"Why don't we figure out where Simon went before we search out whoever caused the storm? There aren't too many places he could have gone with broken ribs."

"We have already discussed that option. We should seek out Patchouli, and enlist her aid in finding him, as well as whoever brought the storm about."

"He could still be dangerous, ze."

Reimu shook her head. "He's not an immediate concern. I don't feel like arguing this, I'm going out. You two had better be out by the time I get back.

"We're not working together on this one?" Marisa asked, "I'm hurt." She didn't look particularly hurt by her friend's words.

Reimu walked out, throwing the door open as she went through. "The incident has already passed. I don't need to resolve it, just keep it from happening again."

Alice turned to the remaining human. "She's headed to the Youkai mountain. We should make our way to the Scarlet Devil Mansion on our own, then."

**[Springtime with Snow – The Oni Village – Noon]**

"You sure about this? He's still dangerous."

"It's fine! Okuu can take care of herself, sis, you know that!"

"Utsuho will be fine, Yuugi. You remember what she had managed last autumn. Besides, we'll be in the room, too."

Simon strained to hear the voices outside the door as he woke up. Shaking his head, he pulled himself up a touch, stopping and dropping himself when he felt pain strike across his chest. Duller pain than before, but he wasn't healed yet, he noted to himself. When had he started feeling pain immediately again? His thoughts were interrupted when the door opened, revealing Satori, Orin, and a third girl he didn't recognize. "Greetings, Satori, Orin." he said, turning to third visitor, "You must be Utsuho."

The girl flared out her large black wings in surprise. "How'd you know my name?" She asked, raising the large device on her right arm slightly.

"Miss Satori had mentioned you once." He smiled slightly, "Also, you guys talking outside the door woke me up."

She blinked at that, and relaxed. "You're a strange human. What's your name?"

"Simon. Pardon me for not offering to shake your hand. I'm somewhat injured at the moment." He glanced at the bandages covering his upper body meaningfully, but she didn't seem to understand the gesture.

"What do you mean?" She said, cocking her head slightly.

He sighed. "I mean, I still have at least one broken rib, and burns over a good chunk of my body. I can barely lift my hand a couple inches." He raised his right hand up slightly for emphasis, wincing as the bandages pulled at his wrist.

She shook her head. "What do you mean by shaking hands? Like this?" She raised her left hand and waved it around in the air.

Simon groaned, as did Orin, hanging in the back. "You know what?" he said, "never mind. What are you here for?"

"Unyu?" Utsuho evidently wasn't used to answering questions.

Satori jumped in for a moment to help her out. "He wants to know what you do here, Utsuho." she said.

Utsuho brightened at this. She raised the device on her right arm in front of her aiming at a wall. Orin and Yuugi both stood up quickly, worried she was going to blow a hole in the wall. "I control the fires of the Former Hells with this, my control rod. I keep everything in check doing lots of nuclear fusion, and whenever contaminants get in, it's my job to get rid of them, and keep the temperatures up, and-"

"I get the idea." Simon cut her off. Jesus, the girl was energetic. He had to admit, though, her smile was somewhat contagious. A thought occurred to him; Utsuho had caused an incident last autumn, this was probably related. "You like your job, then?"

"Oh yeah. It's really fun." Utsuho nodded to emphasize her point.

"How'd you end up with the job?" Simon asked. Noticing confusion start to cloud her expression again, he asked a simpler question. "Did Miss Satori give you the job?"

"Nope. A god did." Utsuho nodded happily. "Now I have the power of nuclear fusion! It's great!"

"I've gathered that." Simon said, smiling. "Which god gave it to you?"

Satori leaned closer as he asked the question, interested in learning the answer herself. Utsuho let her arm drop. "I forgot." Satori smiled slightly at the response, and her magic flared with a realization.

"I take it, Miss Satori, that you remembered who for her?" Simon asked.

Utsuho glanced between Simon and her Mistress, unsure what he meant by the comment.

Satori nodded in response. "It's alright Utsuho. Calm down."

Ustuho nodded, before turning back to Simon. "Hey!" She said, noticing something. "You've got bandages over your eyes! How do you see with those?"

Simon just laughed.

**[Springtime – The Scarlet Devil Mansion – Noon]**

Alice and Marisa flew up to a huge set of gates barring the entrance to a huge mansion. The gateguard, dressed in traditional chinese clothing, shouted at them, "Hold it! You're not allowed entry!"

Marisa pulled out her Mini-Hakkero, grinning. Alice interrupted her, speaking to the guard. "Meiling, as much as I understand your reluctance to allow her into the mansion, I have business with lady Patchouli. May I pass unhindered?"

Meiling, caught off guard by Alice's unexpected politeness, simply nodded, before shaking her head. "Does lady Patchouli know you have business with her?"

Alice shook her head. "I'm afraid not. We're seeking her wisdom in regard to recent developments."

"You mean the storm?" Meiling asked.

"Amongst other things."

Meiling crossed her arms in thought. "I can't let her in here," she eventually said, gesturing to Marisa, still grinning in anticipation, "but I may grant you entry." She opened the gates to let Alice through, before closing them shut again.

Alice glanced back at the witch. "Don't worry, Alice!" Marisa called, "I'll be with you in a moment!"

Alice sighed. She just hoped Marisa didn't cause too much property damage.

**[Springtime – Scarlet Devil Mansion Lobby – Noon]**

A maid in a short skirt was waiting for Alice as she walked in. "Greetings, Magician. Why are you here?"

"Greetings to you, Miss Sakuya. I wish to speak with the Librarian."

Sakuya nodded, knowing that Alice wasn't the sort to cause trouble if she could help it. The witch she had come with, however, should be expecting a fight. "The library is the first door on your left."

Alice nodded, and thanked the head maid before entering the Library, flanked by two dolls.

**[Springtime – Youkai Mountain – Noon]**

Reimu was stopped on a cliffside by a crow tengu. "Aya, get out of my way."

Aya didn't move. "You know I can't do that, Reimu. I have to make the attempt to keep you out."

"It won't work."

"We both know that. Just allow me to follow you afterwards, you've always got a good scoop around you."

Reimu nodded. "If you're still conscious and stay out of the way, I'll allow it."

"My, how generous." Aya said, smirking as she drew a leaf shaped fan from her shirt. "Defend yourself!"

**[Springtime with Snow – The Oni Village – Mid-afternoon]**

Simon yawned. He had been talking for the past few hours, answering the silliest of questions that Utsuho could think to ask him, and dealing with her kind of energy could tire anyone out. In fact, both Satori and Yuugi had left, leaving Orin, who was napping on the floor. "Okuu," he said, "could we stop talking for a bit? I'm kinda tired."

"Okay!" Utsuho said, skipping out the door.

Simon stared at the energetic girl in disbelief. "How, in the names of all the gods in heaven, does she have that kind of energy?"

Orin raised her head, having been woken up when Utsuho skipped out, and smirked. "Nuclear Power, of course."

Simon wished he could move his arms well enough to slap his face.

**[Springtime – Scarlet Devil Mansion Library – Mid-afternoon]**

Alice walked between the shelves of the library, trying to shake the feeling of unease the huge towers of books were giving her. The library was intimidating, built up by a powerful mage over centuries of collecting, and each tome contained vast amounts of information.

A voice came out from around a bookshelf ahead of her. "A fellow magician... What brings you into my library, Alice?" Alice smiled in relief as she turned a last corner to face a large table covered in books where Patchouli Knowledge, the librarian, was seated. "Please, take a seat. I certainly hope the thieving witch didn't come with you."

"She will be coming here soon, I fear, although the head maid was waiting for her." Alice said, sitting down across from her fellow magician.

"Unfortunate. Oh well, the defenses are always on, but as you said, she'll be here soon." Patchouli hadn't raised her eyes from the book once. "What are you here for?"

"Are you aware of the storm that destroyed a large portion of the Forest of Magic?"

"Yes. I'm not the one who caused it, though I haven't learned who as of yet. You would like my assistance in this matter?" Patchouli placed a slip of paper in the book, and closed it, standing up.

Alice nodded, standing herself. "Yes, in addition to another matter at hand."

"What form of other matter would this be?" Patchouli said, flying to a stand at the far end of the table. Shifting some books away from the stand, she summoned a crystal ball to her, placing it gently.

"You may be aware of my habit of assisting those who are lost in the forest."

"I cannot help you with that matter, nor would I care to provide assistance for any guests you may have." She began chanting under her breath.

"What if we're talking about another human magician, ze?" Marisa said, flying over the bookshelves, and dropping to the floor next to them.

Patchouli interrupted her chant to greet the new arrival. "I see you have made your way here once more, Marisa. Was the question theoretical?"

"I'm afraid not, Lady Patchouli. I picked up a guest recently who, as it turns out, is a human mage from the outside world." Alice said.

"I was under the impression magic was almost impossible in the outside world." Patchouli said after finishing her chant.

"Almost. I had only understood them as a theoretical branch of magic, but he is, or at least was, incredibly skilled with mana runes."

"Mana Runes. Clever, I must admit. The environment doesn't support building any form of magical core, but it can make use of an existing channel. Mana runes can act as that channel."

"Exactly."

"I'll admit you've caught my interest in this matter. First, however, the scrying sphere is ready." Patchouli, along with the two other magicians, stared into the crystal ball, revealing Youkai mountain.

Marisa couldn't stop herself from chuckling at the sight, knowing that the image would lead to Tenshi eventually, as it zoomed closer.

**[Springtime – Youkai Mountain – Mid-afternoon]**

Reimu landed on the peak of Youkai Mountain, with heaven a short distance farther.

"What are you doing here?" a voice to her left said. "This place hasn't become any safer for mortals since the last time you were here."

"I'm trying to find who caused the storm in the Forest of Magic."

Iku Nagae, messenger of the dragon palace, floated down in her usual flowing pink dress, and said, "Then you don't have to far to go."

"You caused the storm?" Reimu said, readying her gohei.

"No, no, you misunderstand me. You're looking for the right woman. Tenshi caused the storm."

Aya spoke up. "Wait, why are you just saying that? I had to beat the information out of you to find out she was responsible last time."

Reimu smacked her on the back of the head as Iku nodded. "Yes, and I'd like to avoid that happening again, thank you very much. Tenshi did it on orders from someone else."

Reimu stepped closer to the oarfish. "Whose orders?"

"I don't know, but she seemed to take the orders as an excuse. I don't know the details."

"We'll just have to ask her then." Reimu said, taking off for the entrance to heaven.

Aya scrambled to follow her. "This gets harder every time I try to follow her. Why does she make it so difficult?" she said to herself.

Iku pretended not to notice the tengu following Reimu. She had a feeling she wouldn't learn the whole story unless she was there.

**[Springtime with Snow – Palace of the Earth Spirits – Late Afternoon]**

Satori sat down at a small dinner table, across from Orin. Utsuho had gone back to the former hell to keep the flames in check. Orin stretched in place, shoving her hands in Satori's face. "Yes, Rin? Do you need something?"

"Why'd ya want Utsuho to meet Simon?" Orin asked, leaning on the table.

"They can help each other somewhat. Utsuho's still coming to terms with having an incredible amount of power. Simon's coming to terms with a completely different way of life that he's been forced into, albeit by his own actions." Satori explained.

Orin cocked her head slightly. "That's not all, is it?" Satori leaned back in surprise, not expecting her pet to take notice of something she left out. "I've lived with ya for a long time, Miss Satori, I know ya. Ya've got something planned. I just wanna know what."

Satori settled herself. It seemed Utsuho wasn't the only one who had grown since the incident. "You're right, Rin. I do have a plan. You'll have to forgive me, though. I'll tell you when I tell them, okay?"

Orin nodded. "That's fine. Tell them soon, though. I wanna know!" She turned into her cat form, and walked off into the halls of the palace.

Satori smiled to herself as she rose to make herself a pot of fresh Tea.


	6. Freedom

**Hey, Readers!:** You can always try criticizing me, you know. It helps. A lot. I wonder if anyone's caught on to the chapter titles yet.

Disclaimer here: Touhou belongs to the mortal god of drunkenness himself, ZUN. I also don't own the concepts of tiredness, vampirism, Schrodinger's Cat, or Pride. Enjoy.

**[Springtime with Snow – The Oni Village – Evening]**

Most cats don't turn into girls, Simon realized, staring up at the ceiling while he tried to sleep. Orin wasn't an ordinary cat, if the twin tails she sported weren't clue enough. God, he was tired. Humans shouldn't be awake this late at night. Humans shouldn't be a quarter mile underground, trying to recover from nearly lethal wounds. Then again, that applied to sane humans, which may have meant that the observation was a moot point, as he didn't necessarily qualify as sane.

Hell, it was funny thinking of just what would happen if he tried to explain his current situation to someone from home. "I was chasing a vampire into another world and got my eyes cut out, was rescued by a magical puppeteer, and then after a huge storm hit, got the shit beaten out of me by an oni." That'd go over well over there. He wondered just how they were doing. Marilyn probably missed him. He'd been gone for a long time now, and he had probably been written off as dead by this point. Disappeared without a trace, and since he officially didn't exist, that meant he never was.

That was a scary thought. Instead of being dead, he'd be left alive while everyone he knew thought he was dead. The idea of Marilyn crying at a funeral... He silently promised himself to return alive, regardless of what it took. A man alive while he's dead. He'd be Schrodinger's human. He chuckled, and finally fell asleep.

**[Springtime with Snow – The Oni Village – Early Morning]**

Simon woke to feel something pulling at his chest. He looked down to see that Yuugi was removing the bandages that had been tightly wrapped around his entire upper half. "How do I look?" he asked her.

Yuugi glanced at him, surprised that he was awake already, then looked back to what she was doing. "You're alright, there. The ribs have set properly, and the burns are pretty much gone. This will be the last day you'll need your chest wrapped like this."

"That's a relief." he said, leaning back down to stare at the ceiling again. "Say, where did you learn to treat wounds like this?"

"The spellcard rules haven't been around since the beginning of time, you know. Most of us underground were fighters before combat became nonlethal." She pulled out a fresh roll of bandages. "Besides, accidents still happen."

"Makes sense."

They stayed silent for a few minutes as Yuugi finished wrapping him up. "You know something, Simon? I thought you were mocking me at first, back during the fight."

He gave a short, bitter laugh. "I don't know about you, but somehow mocking an oni, of all things, in an otherwise friendly battle doesn't come across as very intelligent."

She stared at him for a moment before chuckling herself. "I thought you were insulting me, by refusing to fly. I hadn't realized you weren't from Gensokyo."

"Ouch. Thinking of it that way..."

"Yeah. It's a pretty cocky way to fight when just about everybody can fly. Hurt my pride a bit."

"That was why you got pissed off. Hell, the only consistent detail in the myths about oni is don't hurt their pride, or they'll mess you up." he paused. "That, and a love for alcohol."

"Damn straight. You didn't exactly make it better with the taking hits head on, and not using spell cards until the last possible moment either."

"I used it as soon as I got it." he shrugged. "I didn't expect to win the fight, to be honest. I've never been great at fights."

Yuugi stared at him for a moment. After blinking she said, "I'm surprised. You fought well."

"Thank you." It wasn't a light compliment. "But yeah, I was fighting an enemy I knew little about on even grounds with an unfamiliar choice of weapon, and looking back, I had a hell of hangover at the time. Not the greatest of ways to ensure victory, you know?"

"Yeah." She walked to the corner of the room, and picked up her sake bowl, sipping from it. She had a lot to think about.

**[Springtime – Heaven – The Previous Afternoon]**

Reimu pointed her gohei at the celestial in front of her. "Hey, Tenshi! What'd you make the storm for?"

Tenshi ignored her question, looking at the girl behind the shrine maiden. "What's she doing here? You think you needed backup or something?"

Reimu stepped forward, jabbing the gohei into Tenshi's chest. "She doesn't matter. You didn't answer my question. Who told you to create a storm?"

Tenshi smiled. She planned on dragging out the moment as long as she could. This would be a good break from the monotony. "That's a different question, Reimu." Reimu swung the gohei at Tenshi's head, only for the celestial to catch the improvised weapon. "Temper, Temper!" she admonished. "Starting a fight when it's beautiful like this? I accept. Bring it."

Reimu threw danmaku in Tenshi's face, forcing the celestial to release the gohei. "Damn it, we know someone told you to make the storm!" she shouted.

"We?" The celestial asked as she dodged the attacks. "So the tengu is working with you, then?

Reimu screamed in anger, taking out her frustrations from the previous few days out on the celestial. Tenshi grinned, beginning to dodge through the few gaps she saw in the attack pattern.

"STOP!"

Both combatants stopped their attacks immediately, dispelling the danmaku as they turned to face Shikieiki, the Yama of Paradise, who continued speaking, "The celestial was acting on my orders, shrine maiden. Though she went further than I had asked." She looked like a young woman, and she carried a yellow wooden sword in her hands. Her almost childish appearance and voice did absolutely nothing to lessen the effect of the glare she leveled at Tenshi, who squirmed in place.

Reimu stepped in. "Yama, what exactly did you order Tenshi to do?"

Shiki paused for a moment, eventually saying, "I had ordered her to destroy the vampire who had been murdering innocents without harming the one who had entered Gensokyo following her."

"She succeeded in doing that, without killing anyone else, so a storm like that isn't going to happen again anytime soon?"

"Yes. Do not harm the one from outside. That applies to the magicians watching you as well." The Yama responded, seemingly staring at nothing.

**[Springtime – Scarlet Devil Mansion Library – The Previous Afternoon]**

Marisa, Patchouli, and Alice simultaneously gulped, as Shikieiki glared at them. They'd keep to that simple order.

**[Springtime – Heaven – The Previous Afternoon]**

She looked back to Reimu and Tenshi. "The outsider is on a path to redemption. You may fight him should you so choose, but do not harm him."

"You mean the human magician Alice had mentioned?"

"Precisely. He has much to learn, and he will be able to do if he isn't harmed."

Reimu nodded, and left, Aya snapping a picture of the Yama before following the shrine maiden. Iku bowed her head as a sign of respect to the Yama before flying off. Tenshi was left alone on the island of heaven with Shikieiki. "I'm not getting out of this easily, am I?" She asked.

Shikieiki glared at her before saying, "We have quite a bit to discuss, Eldest Daughter."

**[Springtime with Snow – The Oni Village – Morning]**

Satori quietly slipped into the room, shushing mutters from her pets behind her. She didn't want to wake Simon up, as he would normally be sleeping at this hour. Naturally, he was wide awake, albeit lost in thought like Yuugi was. He glanced over at the door, and seeing the familiar purple shape of a girl, smiled. "Hello, Satori."

Satori smiled herself. "Hello, Simon. Why are you awake so early?"

He shrugged. "Couldn't sleep too well. Woke up when Yuugi changed the bandages."

"I see. I brought Utsuho and Rin with me again."

"I know what you're planning, Miss Satori. You're thinking of a way to destroy the knife."

Satori's mouth was open in shock. He couldn't have read her mind, but...

"I don't need to read your mind to read that expression. Besides, I was thinking something much the same. I'll explain shortly." he finished, nodding to prompt her into what she had planned.

She nodded herself, opening the door to allow a twin-tailed cat and raven to fly in. They both quickly turned into their more humanoid forms, confused. She turned to him again. "Explain yourself."

He chuckled for a moment. "Amongst a few others, one of the things that one training to be an investigator learns is reading body language. It's a rather animalistic trait, most people never develop the ability. Your pets," he said, nodding towards Orin and Okuu, "likely noticed what I had; specifically, that you were planning something." Seeing a look of comprehension begin to appear on her face, he continued. "Knowing that you were planning, then, I took the information I had, and put it together. You knew what my stated goals were, I wasn't exactly hiding them. You made a point of bringing me back into health, went into my memories to understand my apathy, and introduced me to your pets, specifically Okuu over there."

Satori nodded, slightly awed by the deductive reasoning. "I see how you figured it out. It looks like you'll have to continue if you want those two to understand it." Yuugi stared at him, watching his movements.

"Alright then. Amongst my stated goals was a want to destroy my cursed knife, an act which requires careful focus, a great amount of power, and runes to prevent the effects of the runes from hurting those around, especially those destroying it." Orin nodded in understanding, having caught on to the plan. He continued, seeing that Okuu was still confused. "The power was the biggest problem. I have a energy collection rune circle set up in my apartment, for emergencies. Activating it would release an incredible amount of energy, enough to overload almost any item, magical or non. With Okuu here, there's a different power source available, albeit one that will require a more complicated runic circle to use."

Utsuho still hadn't caught on to the plan, so Satori decided to help a little bit. "Nuclear Fusion is pretty powerful, isn't it?" she asked.

**[Springtime with Snow – Palace of the Earth Spirits – Noon]**

"So, let's get this show on the road." Simon said to himself, stretching out muscles which had gotten little to no use the past few days. He jogged to the inner courtyard, mentally designing the runic circle he would need to lay out.

Yuugi had been waiting for him just outside the entrance. "Why are you so willing to destroy the knife? What does it do?"

She wanted the answers before letting him risk the lives of the others. He had left information out, something which didn't sit well with the oni. "I made this knife because I felt that killing would be the only way to help the world as a whole." he said, "It very much represents a dark chapter in my life. I'd like to see it closed today."

"And what of what happens later? Your stint as investigator ends with you no longer killing."

"Not so. The exorcism was how I had interpreted the job. I did things which, looking back, were unnecessary."

"The knife. How is it cursed?"

"Vampiric rune. It drains blood from the target on contact, and the blood it drains fuels it further, making the curse more effective. That combined with the various strengthening and resistance runes, means that it can drain the blood from almost any living being in under two seconds. That's why I'd like to only have Okuu and I in there."

"What?"

Simon looked into her eyes. "If something goes wrong, if my circle fails to do its job, the magical overload will still work. In that case, a supercharged effect of the vampiric rune will pulse out, instantly draining the blood from anyone within a radius of approximately 250 meters. I want you to get Miss Satori, Koishi, and Orin away from here, Yuugi. I don't want to risk anything more than necessary. Okuu and I have to be there, but no one else does."

Yuugi paused, staring at the bandages covering his eyes. The runes along them were glowing faintly. "I'll do what I can. Tell me when." She paused, and he took that as a cue to continue. She turned and yelled at his back, "And take care of yourself, too, ya hear!"

**[Springtime with Snow – Palace of the Earth Spirits Inner Courtyard – Afternoon]**

Simon finished drawing the last of a series of increasingly complex runes along the edge of the circle. In the middle, he placed the knife, and backed off. Utsuho stood to the side, in a circle of her own. He retreated to a circle directly across from her. All three circles were enclosed by a larger circle, some 10 meters in diameter. He leaned down to the edge of his circle, and activated it.

All of the circles lit up, glowing a greenish blue. Utusho was stunned by the sight. Simon turned behind him, not raising his hands. "Yuugi, get them away now!" he shouted. The oni nodded, picking up Orin, and running outside the palace. Satori followed behind the two. Simon hoped Koishi had the good sense to get away herself. Simon turned to Utsuho. "Okuu, Shoot the knife, as much power as you can! Destroy the knife!"

Utsuho raised her control rod at the blade, taking careful aim, before unleashing a huge bright white beam. As bright as the sun, Simon realized, even taking his bandages into account, he had to turn his head away. The runic circles flared as the knife began to burn. A sudden explosion from inside made a visible shockwave that seemed to echo into the air, before falling back down again. Simon struggled to maintain the circles.

Then it was over. The ripples inside the inner circle disappeared completely, and the knife was no more. "Okuu, you can stop now!" He shouted. Utsuho nodded, and the beam stopped immediately. He raised his hands from the edge of his circle, and sat back, watching the runic circles slowly fade.

"That was pretty." Koishi said from beside him.

"Yes it was." Simon nodded. "I thought I told Yuugi to bring you outside, too."

"You did, She tried, couldn't find me." she said, smiling.

"So why are you still here, watching the whole thing."

"You didn't trust you. I did."

Simon nodded, accepting that answer.

Yuugi ran into the courtyard, barring Orin from following her. "We saw a bright column of power. Lit up the whole caverns, maybe even out to the surface. Is it safe?"

Simon grinned, looking at his arms, and Koishi sitting beside him. "Well, we're not mummified, bloodless husks, so I'm going to wager a yes, there."

Yuugi smiled, stepping away from the door, letting Orin and Satori through, Orin immediately rushing to Okuu. "Sis, I was worried about ya! You alright? It's gone, right, sis?"

Utsuho smiled. "It was pretty! Can we do it again, Simon? Please?"

"Not until I've rested some. That took a fair bit out of me." He staggered a bit as he pulled himself up to his feet, but caught his balance. Yuugi offered him a hand, and he leaned against her. "Thanks for the help."

Yuugi looked at him, before looking back out. "You're welcome. I'll help you back to your bed."

Orin watched the two walk off. "Is bro gonna be alright, Miss Satori?"

Satori smiled, and stroked Orin's hair. "He'll be fine, Rin."


	7. Generosity

**Hey, Readers!:** So I found out that the Kunio-kun games are fun, with good writing. Who would have thought, a beat-em-up series that doesn't have writing that makes silver age batman make sense by comparison?

Disclaimer here: Touhou belongs to the mortal god of drunkenness himself, ZUN. I also don't own the concepts of shop talk, lycanthropy, favors, or murder. Enjoy.

**[Springtime – Hakurei Shrine – Morning]**

Reimu swept the shrine, humming a small tune under her breath. The forest of magic nearby was covered in blooming trees, making it almost seem like a sea of bright colors, until one laid eyes on the area destroyed by the storm. The trees had been ripped apart by the fierce winds, and there were almost no leaves remaining there. Thankfully, the magicians had kept the fires from spreading, limiting the damage.

The nearby human village had been in a panic, sending Keine, the schoolteacher, to the shrine for answers. No one from the village had been in the forest at the time, but the storm had damaged some of the houses, and so the humans living there were understandably worried about a repeat occurrence.

So worried, in fact, that Keine had been waiting for Reimu when she returned. Reimu saw her waiting outside the shrine immediately, and had landed next to her. "It's the schoolteacher. Why are you here?"

Keine, had been on the receiving end of Reimu's fury in the past, like most of the powerful creatures who lived in Gensokyo, and was familiar with her abrupt and straightforward speech. "Did you just come back from dealing with what had caused the storm?"

"Yeah," she had replied, sitting on the front step. "All you need to know is that it's not going to happen again."

"That's all I needed to know." Keine had walked back to the village then, knowing that the shrine maiden, while not necessarily keeping Gensokyo in balance, was one of very few who could resolve incidents on a regular basis. If she said that she had prevented a repeat occurrence, then Keine was inclined to believe her.

Reimu shook her head, and continued sweeping.

**[Springtime with Snow – Palace of the Earth Spirits – Morning]**

Simon stretched and yawned. Yesterday had been tiring. The process of destroying a magical artifact required an incredible amount of power, but Utsuho had power to spare. He had to wonder at the sheer scope of the incident she had been involved in. She had changed because of that incident, or possibly her change was what had triggered it, but either way, her sheer power would mean that she had been a major force during any battles that occurred.

That was something. Since Yuugi had defeated him, he hadn't practiced fighting. He would normally fight with a knife, but since he had just destroyed the thing last night, he couldn't very well practice with that. He was used to handling a blade in combat, though, so he'd need something. He couldn't enchant a weapon, that would be going against the whole point of his life oath. There was a desk in the corner. He sat in the chair, grabbing a sheet of paper, and sketching out ideas for a weapon he could use.

Several hours later, Yuugi knocked on the door. "Hey, Simon, you all right in here?" Not hearing a response, she opened the door, wondering if he had slept in. Simon was still sitting at the desk, still finalizing his design. "You missed breakfast."

Simon turned around in his seat. He hadn't realized how long he had been working. "Oh, hello Yuugi." He bowed his head slightly before turning back the sheet of paper he had in front of him, still thinking on the design.

Yuugi looked over at the paper he had scribbled on, noticing the runes. "Whatcha been working on, Simon?"

"Well," Simon started, working together the ideas in his head, "fighting is a big part of my job, regardless of my attitude towards it. I used to fight with a knife."

"Be rather difficult to do that now," Yuugi said. "You scorched the ceiling of the cavern when you blew up your knife yesterday."

"Well, yeah. I'm used to practicing with the blade in the morning, when I realized I don't have a weapon anymore. Since I can't make myself another knife, I decided to make a blade of energy."

Yuugi raised an eyebrow. "So why'd you write all over Miss Satori's lettering paper?"

"I was sketching out ideas for how to get it to work, in theory, making an effective blade is impossible with runes. … I disagree." He said, adding one last line to the intricate design. He folded the paper along the rune, and gently activated it with a single finger.

A short, thin, and bright beam of light came out under his finger, and hummed lightly. He grinned. "I disagree entirely." He deactivated the rune, and the blade disappeared. "That's going to make some people twitch back home."

"How do you mean?" Yuugi asked.

"It's not the first time I've proven that I can do things they insist are impossible. There any food left?"

"Unless Miss Koishi has taken it, it should still be on the table."

"Cool. Hey, Yuugi. Mind if I ask a favor of you?"

Yuugi sighed. Simon was full of energy today. "Breakfast first." she said, pointing out of the room.

Simon laughed, and still smiling, walked out into the hallway, only to be stopped by what seemed to be a floating plate with some fruit on it. He sighed. "Hello Koishi. I suppose you brought me my breakfast?"

Koishi appeared underneath the plate. "You didn't show. My sister was getting worried."

Simon smiled, taking the plate. "Why don't we head down there, then? Wouldn't do to leave the hostess worried for my sake."

Yuugi walked out of the room, closing the door behind her, and saw the plate Simon was holding. "Koishi, that was my plate." she said, keeping herself calm.

"You weren't eating it."

"Why didn't you bring Simon's plate to him?"

"I ate it."

Simon, halfway down the stairs already, laughed.

**[Springtime with Snow – Palace of Earth Spirits Courtyard – Mid day]**

Simon was explaining his idea for making a blade of energy excitedly with Satori as Orin and Koishi played in the courtyard proper.

"Simon, I'm reading your mind, and I can barely follow that." She eventually said, "You were going to ask a favor of Yuugi. Please do so."

Simon realized he had switched into 'shop talk' mode with someone who really didn't know anything about crafting magic. "Right," he said, "I'll go over there now. Sorry."

"Not a problem." Satori said.

Simon quickly walked out, wondering where, exactly, Yuugi was.

**[Springtime with Snow – The Oni Village – Mid day]**

Yuugi was standing at the bridge, where she normally was, sipping sake, as she normally was. Simon walked up behind her. "Hello Yuugi." he said, leaning on the railing, watching the shifting colors of the river below.

"What's up, Simon?"

"You remember how I asked for a favor?"

She vaguely remembered him asking about a rumor while she was trying to get him to breakfast. "Yeah?"

"Mind if I ask again, now that we've both eaten?"

Yuugi sighed. She knew that if she turned to face him, he'd be smiling. He'd been smiling all day. "Go ahead."

"Could you teach me how to fight under the spellcard rules?" he asked. Yuugi turned around in surprise. He was serious. "I was improvising everything when we fought back then. I don't know what's gonna be up there on the surface, but at the very least, I'm going to have to fight the vampire I followed into Gensokyo. I will need to win that fight, when it happens."

Yuugi watched him in silence, not showing any expression as she listened. "Go on."

"I don't even know how to fly." he said, "I'm going to go back home, and intend to go home alive and well. I can't teach myself."

"Why not?" Yuugi asked. "You make a habit of doing the 'impossible'."

"A good point, but that's because the definitions of 'impossible' are set at what has been achieved," Simon said, "No forethought. I don't have any real knowledge of how flying used around Gensokyo works. It's a form of magic, and I can emulate it, but at the definite cost of power I'd need to survive. If I had a grounding in the basics, I could teach myself everything else I needed to know for a fight."

"And you want me to teach you the basics."

"Yes."

Yuugi looked out over the water, thinking on his request. She sipped her sake, before turning to face him again. "I'll teach you, on one condition."

"Go on."

"Once you've settled the matter with the vampire you were chasing, I want to spar against you. I want to know who will win with even odds." Yuugi was smiling at the idea.

Simon smiled himself. "Thank you."

"In that case, we can start now."

**[The Next Day – The Oni Village – Morning]**

"Alright, if flying's direct control over position, then..." Simon did some calculations in his head, before jumping into the air, and holding himself upside down. "Ha!"

Yuugi was casually sipping her sake upside down. "You seem to have got the hang of floating around."

"Yuugi?" Simon asked.

"Yeah?"

"How are you holding that sake dish?"

"With my hands." Yuugi said, as if that was obvious, which, in a sense, it was. Simon slapped his forehead. She changed the topic from her upside down sake. "If you've got the hang of controlling your movement in the air, it's time for you to practice. Dodge these without firing back." Having said as much, she drew back to the other end of the bridge, and began firing clouds of danmaku into the air.

He smiled, and began to weave between the bullets.

**[Several Days Later – The Oni Village – Morning]**

"I think you've got the hang of it, Simon." Yuugi said.

"Glad to hear you think so." He responded, weaving through an almost opaque wall of bullets.

"At this point, all you need is practice against some real opponents." She said, stopping and landing on her feet.

Simon gently lowered himself to the ground next to the bridge. "I'll have to leave soon... You know what? Give them my thanks, and tell them I'll be back soon."

"You going to the village?"

"The surface. I've got a vampire to stop, assuming she hasn't left Gensokyo. I'll be back as soon as I'm done."

"Good luck, Simon." Yuugi said as he began to walk off towards the entrance to the caverns.

**[Springtime – Entrance to the Underground – Mid day]**

Simon stopped at the entrance to the caverns, looking at the devastation the storm had brought. The forest's colors were muted, as if they had faded. There was magic clustered brighter than usual in the distance. The forest seemed to be healing itself after the storm.

A voice spoke from beside him. "Hey Simon."

"Hey Koishi." He turned to her. "You came to see me off?"

Satori and Orin were standing next to Koishi. "We did." Koishi said. "You didn't say goodbye in person."

"Looks like you'll have to pass on my goodbyes to Okuu, anyways. Oh well. I do mean to return as soon as I can.

"Simon, head for the human village first." Satori said.

"Huh, oh, I see what you mean. I will. Thanks for the concern."

"Hey, bro?" Orin asked.

"Yeah, Orin?"

"Take care of yourself." she said.

"Wouldn't think of doing otherwise. Take care, yourselves!" Simon turned and left without looking back.

**[Springtime – The Human Village – Early Evening]**

A woman met Simon outside a village on the outskirts of the forest. Her magic seemed to be in layers of blue and green. "Hold it. Who are you?"

"I'm Simon. I'm just traveling through."

"I'm Keine Kamishirasawa, the teacher at this village."

"Glad to meet you, Miss Kamishirasawa." Simon bowed his head slightly.

She blinked in surprise, noticing his bandages. "Why do you wish to enter the village?"

"I'm looking for someone," he said, "I lost my lead due to unfortunate circumstances, So I'll need a place to rest, check the rumor mill, and search from."

"You don't have a home?" The fact had put her on guard.

"No, I spent my time recovering with the oni underground."

"Recovering with the oni? Are you human?" A second detail that kept her wary.

"More human than yourself, is my guess." Keine stepped back for a moment, the layers in her magic shifting faster. "I'm an investigator by profession." he said, trying to calm her down. "A good part of my job is to notice things. I can tell, from experience, what a lycan looks like through magic sight. I'd wager that you're a were-hakutaku. Am I wrong?"

"You're dangerous." Keine said.

Simon nodded. "I do have that potential. I assure you, I mean no harm to anyone but the one I'm chasing."

Keine glared at him. He couldn't tell. "Who, exactly, are you chasing, and why are you chasing them? If they're innocent..."

"I assure you, the one I'm chasing is far from innocent. She's a vampire with a young body. Killed at least four people by draining all their blood. I lost track of her when she cut out my eyes."

That statement shocked her out of her aggressive stance. "So that's why."

Simon nodded as confirmation. "Yeah, that's why I've got these on," he tapped the bandages wrapped around his head.

"That why you're chasing her?"

"Hell no." Simon said sharply. "She cut my eyes out because she was backed into a corner. I'm doing this for professional reasons. Hell, I consider myself responsible for the wounds I got then."

"Hmmm..." she was deep in thought. Simon was considering just stepping past her when she finally spoke up. "Vampires drink blood. Wouldn't it be reasonable to expect them to kill their prey?"

"Not in this case. It would take a very big vampire to actually need a full human's worth of blood. Even if she needed that much blood, though, she could have fed from multiple, with the only risk to the prey being a slight case of anemia that would clear up by the end of the week. It's pretty clearly not a case of following instinct. It's murder."

"I'll let you search from inside the village. Just don't tell anyone about me."

"Why would I?" Simon asked, "You're not killing innocents, you're even going to great lengths to protect them from possible threats." Keine hadn't thought of things from that perspective. She began to wonder about the village's new guest. "I realize that isn't the standard view of things." He said as explanation, "I'm not exactly standard."

**[Springtime – The Human Village – Evening]**

The village was a simple affair; most of the buildings were wooden shacks, giving the area a fair resemblance to some of the older places in Germany. The people seemed to be farmers for the most part, and consequently pretty much everyone was asleep. There was a tavern, however, to the side of the main road that had a room open. Simon offered to pay by doing some work around the place for a bit, and after some quick haggling, the owner had agreed to the deal, and showed him to his room.

**[Springtime – The Heartache Tavern – The Next Morning]**

Simon had cleaned up what little mess the patrons had left the previous night, and went outside to fetch some things for the owner. He came back an hour later, carrying a sack filled with some food the owner was planning on making into a stew. She didn't need his help around the place, which made sense, in retrospect, given that she had been running the establishment for long before he had walked in.

**[Springtime – The Heartache Tavern – Evening]**

Simon was cleaning the glasses for the owner while she served the customers when one of the villagers, slightly drunk, decided to interrogate the new person in the village.

"Sho," he slurred out, "Whydja come here kid? New guysh aren't ushually jusht walking in here overnight, y'see?"

"I'd that newcomers are rare, given the size of this village. I'm looking for someone, to be honest." He responded without more than a glance at the drunk, immediately returning his attention to the glass in his hands.

"Looking for shomeone? Whysh that?" the drunk asked.

He remained silent, polishing the glass before placing it on the shelf beneath the bar itself. He placed his hands on the counter, looking directly at the drunk's face. "Take a look at my face." he said, gesturing at himself.

The drunk obliged, squinting at him. "Hey!" he shouted, throwing himself back, "How'dja get hurt, shonny?"

"Well, that's part of why I'm looking." he said, and grabbed the next dirty glass, beginning to clean it.

"Well who ya lookin for, then? I mebbe able ta help, shee?" the drunk somehow stumbled backwards from his chair. "I know everythin around theesh partsh!"

"Ah, shut up, ye lush! Ye've never even left the village for a year! I know more than ye do!" A patron near the door shouted at him.

The owner stepped in. "Quiet, you two!" she said, "We're civilized folk here. That's why we're different from the youkai out there!" She pointed out the door. Her outburst shut the two drunks up.

Simon looked at her in interest, but didn't say anything. He'd save that for after everyone had left. She didn't elaborate on her point. The distinction between Youkai and Human was evidently well worn here. Keine had mentioned not liking the place when she led him here. He was starting to understand why.

The tavern went back to business as usual, as if nothing had happened. The drunk had passed out on the counter. "Leave him there. He's safer inside than out where a wild Youkai could get him."

"Are Youkai usually a problem inside the village?" Simon asked, emptying the man's glass and cleaning it.

"We haven't given them the chance." The owner said, with a note of finality. "My grandpa used to tell stories of what it was like back when we let the beasts in. We'd all rather not let any of that happen again."

"Hmmm..." he said, placing the glass away. "I guess you'd rather learn from the past, huh?"

"It's how we work. We can't live as long as Youkai can, so we don't have too long to learn." The owner responded, locking the door.

"I wonder if anything gets lost in translation?" Simon wondered as he walked up the stairs towards his room.

"If it does, we can't do much. I'll see you in the morning, Simon." the owner went into her office in the back.


	8. Help

**Hey, Readers!:** Sorry for double-updating on you guys. Read chapter 7 if you haven't already. In unrelated news, I just had a mental image of Keine as the captain of the U.S.S. Retcon. Rather strange, that. If you're having trouble reading the drunks' dialog, say it out loud. Should help a lot.

Disclaimer here: Touhou belongs to the mortal god of drunkenness himself, ZUN. I also don't own the concepts of ambushes, purple, drunken slurring, or rumors. Enjoy.

**[Springtime – The Heartache Tavern – Morning]**

Simon woke up before the sun rose, and got dressed in time to watch the sun rise through the window. It was always a calming sight to see the sun come up, whether it was the end or the beginning of the day. The sun itself was visible as a bright disc, but there wasn't any glare. The farmers were just starting to go about their morning chores, and a woman full of purple magic was watching him look out the window from down below. He blinked, and she disappeared. Odd. He put it out of his mind and went downstairs.

The owner was waiting for him downstairs. "Do you always watch the sun rise in the morning?" she asked.

"If I'm awake for it." he said, stretching slightly.

"Make sure you are. We've got things to do." she said, and handed him a list of tasks to do before the day began.

Simon sighed, and went to work.

**[Springtime – The Heartache Tavern – Afternoon]**

After the tavern's regular patrons stopped by for lunch, the place was pretty much deserted. The owner herself had decided to leave, saying she had some errands she personally wanted to run. Simon took this as an opportunity to visit Keine, now that he had developed some idea of what was going on.

Keine had just wrapped up her lesson for the day, and she was able to talk just about then. "So, Simon. What do you think of life here?"

Simon paused for a moment. "The villagers are simple folk. Not amazingly intelligent, nor amazingly stupid, though I'd hate to see how they'd mob. Certain topics carry disproportionate amounts of weight with them."

"I understand. I'm a historian when I'm not teaching, so perhaps I can give you some insight. Come inside." she motioned into the school.

He followed her in, and closed the door behind him. "How big of an threat are the local Youkai?"

"Are you planning on solving the villager's problem yourself?" Keine asked, still somewhat wary of the newcomer.

Simon shook his head. "No. I'm thinking that it's a big fish story. Blows itself out of proportion with each retelling. Makes for a good story, but not for a factual one."

Keine smiled. "I've been trying to subtly point out how Youkai are essential to the environment here. Haven't had much luck with the parents the way they are."

"They wouldn't be here if they weren't helpful overall." he said, "Life does a good job of balancing itself out that way."

"How much history do you know?" she asked, moving behind her desk.

Simon paused. "Not much of the local history. More from elsewhere."

"That's an ambiguous sentence."

He nodded. "I'd rather not spout too much about my past around here. The walls don't have ears, but the people on the other side of the door do seem to enjoy listening." He turned around to face the door. "I know you're there, you may as well come in."

Sheepishly, the tavern owner walked in, closing the door behind her. "How did you know?"

Simon sighed, and tapped the side of his head. "I'm blind. Means I have to use everything else at my disposal to know what's going on around me."

Keine interjected, wanting to try and defuse some of the tension. "It's a well documented phenomenon. Blind people often make greater use of their other senses, leading to a greater overall sense of location. He's just the first blind person for a rather long time in the village's history."

The owner was satisfied with that answer. "Come along, Simon. We have to prepare for tonight's round of drinkers."

"Here's hoping they're less rowdy than last time." he commented. "I'll talk to you later, Miss Kamishirasawa." he said, before closing the door behind him.

"I'm looking forward to it." she responded to the empty room.

**[Springtime – The Heartache Tavern – Evening]**

"Sho ya never told me, shonny. What pershon are ya lookin' for?" The drunk from the night before was attempting to start a new conversation with Simon.

"I don't think you'd be much help..." he eventually responded, "...then again, that's an idea."

"What ish?" The drunk was interested in him.

"What are some good rumors about Gensokyo? I've heard you know a lot about it." He neglected to mention that it was the same drunk who had told him, but the comment seemed to stroke the drunk's ego the right way.

"I'm the besht there ish for what ta know." the drunk proudly stated. "Nothing getsh by me. Fill me anothe' glash, kid." Simon did so.

The less drunk patron from the previous night had been sitting next to him this time. "Ye're the best at rumors, I'll give you that, lush."

"Hey! I'm not a lush, jusht a little fuzzy."

Simon wanted information fast. "Well, I was thinking rumors about what's going on outside the village more than rumors I can confirm with my eyes here and now.

Both drunks got a laugh out of that. "I've heard tell there be witches in the Forest of Magic." the less drunk of the two said. "Travellers should watch their backs."

"What do ya know about witchesh, mite? One of them reshcuesh thoshe who g'lost in th' foresht."

"Ye got drunk in the forest, lush. Ye probably imagined the whole thing."

"I'm telling ya, mite, She did shave me from a Youkai then, and showed me back to the village."

Before the less drunk of the two could fire off a retort, Simon decided to interrupt. "Actually, I believe him there. Did she tell you her name?" he asked the lush.

"Alish. She said her name wash Alish. She wash real pretty."

"I've met her myself, actually, on the way here. Nice lady. Hard to believe she's a witch, though."

"Ah, don't ye get him started. He'll be at this all bloody night!"

"She's definitely a witsh." the lush insisted, "She'sh got thesh dollsh that float around her, shee?"

"That's not magic, ye lush! Ye two prolly had a dream about the puppeteer that comes here for the festivals."

"It's possible I met the puppeteer, given I haven't been here for a festival before." Simon said, connecting dots in his head. "Be rather strange for me to dream of someone I never met."

"Yeah, she's a helpful sort. Not a witch though."

"Oh well." Simon glanced at the lush. "He's out. What's your name, man?" he asked the less drunk of the two.

"I'm Mike, though this lush keeps calling me mite to mock me size. Mind helping me out a bit? I need to get him home."

Simon glanced over to the owner, who nodded her permission, and, grabbing the lush from under the shoulder, helped the two drunks get home.

**[Springtime – The Heartache Tavern – Morning]**

Morning came and went. Sunrise was a beautiful thing through magic sight. He thought he saw the woman with purple magic looking through one of the windows, but she disappeared again. She definitely was not a human. He turned to leave the room, only to see the same woman in his room. She chuckled, and left through a white hole in the middle of the room.

"I hope she doesn't make a habit of that." he muttered to himself, "I'm pretty sure the villagers wouldn't take too kindly to a Youkai popping in every so often."

The owner handed him a list of chores, looking at him warily. It seemed his little question and answer session with Mike and the lush last night had been somewhat unexpected. He took it in stride, and went about the morning chores.

**[Springtime – The Heartache Tavern – Evening]**

"So what is your name, anyway?" Simon asked the drunk. "You seem to be a regular here."

"Me? I'm Lushiush." the drunk slurred.

Simon blinked. "Lucius?"

"Thash what I said. Lushiush. Shay, ya wanted ta hear rumorsh, right?"

"Indeed I did." Simon put the freshly cleaned glass down on the table, before picking up the next one.

"Hey, mite. Should I tell him bout the manshion on th'lake?" Lucius called back to his sometime drinking partner in the corner.

Said partner walked up to the bar, and took a seat. "Greetins, Simon. Lush, ye've never been to the lake. Let meself tell this one."

"I'm listening." Simon said, putting away the last of the glasses for now.

Mike leaned back into his chair, before leaning onto the counter with a gleam in his alcohol-dulled eyes. "Ye see, there's a lake downstream from the river called the scarlet lake. A few years ago, a mansion, a big mansion appeared, overnight. I used ta be a sailor then, ye see, so I got a chance to see it happen. It seemed to just grow out of the ground in a couple minutes. Now, me mates back here didn't believe me, but there was definitely a mansion there. So we, the crew and myself, that is, decided to check this new place out. All the doors from the lobby were locked, but the front doors closed on their own. We were stuck for a day or so, and then the front doors were suddenly wide open again. Me and my mates never went back." He gulped the remainder of his glass and held it out for a refill.

Simon obliged, the man kept his tab paid. "There's no way that's the whole story." he said, "You've got something more, else Lush here wouldn't know it."

"Doncha call me Lush. I like my full name plenty." Lucius said. "Yeah, ya shee, the shtory getsh a tad weird after that. About a monsh after Mite here getsh himshelf shtuck in a room for a day, thish red misht appears, flooding the shky. Got sho bad that the sun barely showed at all. Then, overnight, everythins gone. Manshionsh there, theresh a gate guard now, but noonesh ever gone in. They shay, tho, that there's a vampire living there."

"Taint just any vampire. Ye see, she's a little girl vampire. She mighta been decended from ol' Drac himself."

Simon resisted the urge to prove him wrong on that count. His grandfather had finished off the vampire after someone tried to bring it back to life. Dracula was loyal well through his life, as well as his afterlife. "Sounds like a scary little lady." he eventually said. The two drunks took it as a compliment, and after a celebratory round, stumbled home.

After everything had been cleaned up, he asked the owner, "Was there any truth to the rumors tonight?"

The owner looked at him, surprised he had asked her facing the other wall. "There is a vampire of some sort in the Scarlet Devil Mansion, but I don't know anything more than that."

"I'll check it out tomorrow, then. You have any problems with that?"

"Not at all." The owner said, and she watched him walk up the stairs to his room. After he had left, she quietly stepped out the door, and went to organize a meeting.

**[Springtime – The Heartache Tavern – Very Late Evening]**

Simon woke up to chatter on the floor beneath him. He pressed his head to the floor and listened in.

"Why'd ye call us here, anyway? It's the dead of night." Mike, his "ye"'s clear as day even through the wood.

"Because, Michael, I'd like to know what you think of our guest." The owner definitely didn't trust him.

"Methinks he's hiding his past. I think something be chasing him." Mike, again.

"I think thash a good point. He'sh got shomething to hide." Lush.

"We should get him to spill soon." the owner said.

"We'll do that for ye, miss."

"What about our wonderful teacher?"

"Miss Kamishirasawa? She's harmless for now."

A voice he didn't recognize spoke up. "She's teaching the kids lies about the Youkai! Why, just the other day-"

"Quiet, you brute! We don't want to wake him up." Simon would put $10 on her pointing up as she said that.

"Sorry," the man apologized, "I get worked up about this. Just the other day my boy came back from school talking about how he learned in school that Youkai keep the forest safe. Safe! They're the reason it's unsafe!"

"Should we be doin shomething about her?"

"I'd advise against it until we've taken care of Simon. He was talking to her earlier today."

"We'll give him a warning in the morning. He's one man against me and a few friends." The man was gearing for a fight. "He'll learn to leave well enough alone."

"The hell I will." Simon said to himself.

"If he doesn't change his behavior by the end of tonight, take care of him more permanently."

"Alright. We'll 'take care' of Keine after we've got him out of the picture." he added a dirty chuckle to his already dark tone.

This suddenly became a very dangerous situation. He could handle it. Tomorrow would be a very busy day, however. He adjusted his position, and rolled the bed's cover into a ball in the corner.

**[Springtime – The Human Village – Early Morning]**

Simon sat up from a meditative trance, and opened his window, watching the sun rise over the forest. The tip of a tall building was in the distance, and the forest was quickly regrowing. He carefully pulled himself through the window before closing it behind him and dropping to the ground. He dashed across the main road, and rested against the side of a building, watching the Tavern's front. The purple woman was sitting comfortably on the roof, out of sight.

It wasn't long before the big man from the night before, flanked by two men, walked into the Tavern. Simon quietly followed them in, watching as they went up the stairs, only to duck behind the bar as one of them looked around to check for witnesses. As he turned back to the stairs, Simon struck, jumping across the room and putting the man in a chokehold. The man lost consciousness without making a sound. Simon gently placed him on the ground, before quietly moving up the stairs to his room.

As expected, the would-be thugs were trying to break down the door with brute force. One of them heard him coming, and turned to ask, "Hey, Shiki! What took you..." He trailed off as he noticed who it was, making the other thug look his way.

"You didn't ask for me to join your party? I'm hurt." Simon said, smiling, his hands free and out to either side of the relatively narrow hall.

The thug snarled, and charged him, trying to knock him into the wall. Simon ducked under his swinging arm, and pushed the man forward, knocking him out.

The last thug pulled out a knife, and began swinging loose circles through the air. "I'm not gonna let you get near me, Youkai-lover. You're just gonna get skewered if you do." He thrusted his knife into the air a few times for emphasis.

"Youkai-lover? Where'd that come from? Or is it just the only insult you know?" Simon bantered back. He threw a few jabs in his opponent's direction, testing the thug's reflexes, and grinned.

"What do you think you're gonna do, punk? Stab me with your fists? I'm the one with the knife here. I ain't gonna let any of you Youkai-lovers get near me or my family."

"Pity what fools ignorance makes." Simon said, and he grabbed the thug's arm, making him drop his knife. The thug stared at Simon in shock before getting punched in the face and losing consciousness.

Simon stepped over the man slumped against the wall and calmly walked into the main room of the Tavern. The owner was just stepping out from her room when she saw him, completely unharmed. She got over her surprise quickly, and played innocent. "What happened to you?"

"Nothing much." Simon responded with a grin. "I just took care of the welcoming party you organized last night."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." She said, looking away from him.

"Don't insult me. I was awake for the whole conversation. Good ears, remember?"

"You were asleep, you couldn't have-!" She shouted.

"I did, and reacted. You know, I took the racism around here as complete ignorance. That just can't be the case, though, can it?"

The owner swung a punch at his face. He caught it. "You asshole." she growled at him.

"After all, if it was, there wouldn't be a need for secrecy." He twisted her arm as she tried to raise her other hand for a second attempt at punching him. "You outnumber me by at least six to one, if not more, but you're afraid to make your attack public. You know it's wrong. You knew that most of the villagers wouldn't condone it. So you organized a little meeting to settle the issues with the new people in town. A simple message. Join or we kill you."

"We weren't going to kill you!"

"Oh really? Let me quote you: 'If he doesn't change by the end of tonight, take care of him more permanently.' Sound familiar?" Simon's smile dropped. "I can't allow you to hurt innocents, regardless of whether they are human or not. You wanted to hurt the teacher, who knows the history of the village better than your grandfather likely had."

The owner twisted out of his grip. "You're going to pay for this."

"I invite you to attack me with anyone you wish. Attack anyone else, like Miss Kamishirasawa, and I will make certain that you never see the next sunrise." Simon said.

She couldn't see his eyes, but the rest of his expression was more than enough to know he was deadly serious. It scared her to know that anyone could be so cold about such a statement. She grabbed a knife from the bar and threw it at his head. He dodged the projectile, and instinctively responded with a wave on danmaku that knocked the owner down. The knife went through the window, landing in the street. "That was magic! You can't be human!" The owner shouted at him. "You can't be human! You can't be! You can't be..." She broke down into tears.

He sat down near her. "Here's another rumor. I confirmed this one myself. Humans can learn to do magic in multiple ways. There's a witch in the forest who has studied it for most of her life. She had the good fortune of not having her guardian be an active exorcist."

She didn't respond, still crying. He left out the front door, to see Keine staring at the knife in the road in shock. She looked at him without any expression, her mouth hanging loose.

"You might want to watch your back. They want to get back at you for not teaching the kids racist views, and they wanted me out of the picture."

His words snapped her out of it. "What the hell was that?" she shouted.

"They organized an ambush, and had the misfortune to plan it in the room underneath mine. I fought back, they lost."

"And the knife?"

Simon shrugged. "She was desperate. At least this time the knife wielded by a desperate attacker wasn't mine. My luck seems to be improving."

The black humor seemed to calm her down. "Go to the bamboo forest first thing. They'll reorganize themselves soon enough."

He shook his head. "I'm headed to the mansion on the lake. Go to the bamboo forest yourself. It's a full moon tonight, and they won't hurt their kids if they know what's good for them."

"I'll have my things packed. Take care of yourself."

"Don't worry," he said, walking past her and picking up a rock before drawing a series of runes on it. "I will. Take care of yourself, too, Keine. Life's too short to let it end early." The rock glowed for a moment, before growing a pair of stone wings and looking around.

"Ignorance can't last forever." Keine said to herself, before running off to the school.

Simon watched her leave, before calmly walking out of the village, a winged rock following closely behind. She'd be alright, he hoped.


	9. Intelligence

**Hey, Readers!:** Finally rebuilding my buffer to some degree. If I can maintain it this time, we'll get to the end without much trouble. Please leave criticism.

Disclaimer here: Touhou belongs to the mortal god of drunkenness himself, ZUN. I also don't own the concepts of ghouls, basements, friendship, or mistaken identities. Enjoy.

**[Springtime – Forest of Magic – Morning]**

"It's funny." Simon said, "I wasn't expecting to be followed so quickly." He hadn't bothered turning around. The winged rock hanging over his shoulder was watching the small group that was following him. The villagers hadn't taken kindly to his general viewpoint, let alone him refusing their attempts to make him follow theirs.

"You'll pay for what you've done, Youkai!" The leader of the small group shouted at him, waving a crude sword. The other villagers had other various weapons.

"And what, precisely, makes you think I'm a Youkai?" Simon asked, turning around to face them himself. In the shade from the trees, the runes across his eyes glowed faintly.

"No human could do what you did to Shiki. He's got the best eyes of all of us."

He couldn't help it. Simon began laughing at the way the thug had been complimented. "Oh, wow," he said after regaining some control, "He had the best eyes of you lot? I'd be amazed if he could spot a rookie agent."

That statement shook them. Good, it was a time for grandstanding. "He's bluffing, men!" the leader said, "Don't listen to him!"

"You would love to think that, wouldn't you? Let me try and get this across in as simple a way as possible, so your backwards, uncultured, and bigoted mind can grasp it." He responded, "I've been hunting the most dangerous creatures the supernatural world could offer since I was a boy. I'm fluent in thirteen languages, and, because I learned magic along the way, I developed a way to understand and speak languages I don't know." He raised his hand towards them, keeping it limp. "I am a human mage, and the difference between you and I has nothing to do with power. It has nothing to do with speed, or endurance, or magical ability. All of that could be honed from any starting point into something I'd probably never match." His arm flicked into an odd position. "My advantage, which you could never hope to match while I was alive, is experience. I have seen, have fought, things you couldn't comprehend, and not only survived. I won." He triggered the rune on piece of paper hidden in his palm, unleashing an incredible flash of light. Thankfully there was little magic in the ability.

"What's going on!" The would-be avenging party was temporarily blinded by the light. He walked up the leader, and removed the man's sword. He moved on, disarming all of them while the groped around blindly.

"The blindness will wear off in a few hours, but if you need it, there are two magicians who live in this forest, and one might even take enough pity on you to save your sorry asses." Simon walked off, the winged rock turning to follow him.

**[Springtime – Bamboo Forest of the Lost – Morning]**

Simon had been right, Keine realized. A small group of villagers had been waiting to ambush her at the school. She snuck into the building from the back, and quickly retrieved some personal items before leaving the way she came. The back door slammed a bit, however, and the group chased her out. The thuggish villagers got lost in moments inside in the bamboo forest, and she had been confronting the few who kept on her trail individually, and went so far as to help them out of the forest.

A fireball igniting behind her snapped her out of her reverie. "Mokou!" She shouted, more out of surprise than anything else.

Mokou Fujiwara was standing there. "Sorry, Keine." She said. Her voice had a slight odd quality most couldn't place. The only ones who recognized it for what it was were either historians or immortal.

"I suppose it's been a long time since I've been here in my normal form." Keine responded.

"Yeah."

"Do you mind if I stay here for a while?" Keine sat down, feeling tired as the adrenaline rush began to wear off. "I'm kinda...tired." She yawned, and fell asleep sitting up. Mokou sat down next to her, ready to protect her best, and only, friend alive from anything that came along to harm her.

**[Springtime – Scarlet Devil Mansion – Mid-day]**

Simon relaxed against he brick wall. It was well designed, and as a result, left almost no footholds at all. Everything about the mansion's security was well built, including the gate guard around the corner. The moment he started to try and watch with his winged rock, she had smashed it with some well placed danmaku. Taking a deep breath, he rounded the corner, where the gate guard appeared to be sleeping.

"Appeared", as the moment he got within a few hundred feet of her, she immediately snapped to attention, floating in the air, ready for combat.

"Greetings." He said to her. "What's your name?"

The polite greeting didn't faze her too much. " I am Hong Meiling."

He bowed his head slightly. "I'm Simon. Pleased to meet you."

Her magic shifted through several rainbows before stopping with one and unleashing a spell card against him. Colorful danmaku seemed to rain down around him. He dodged them with a practiced ease, flying only when necessary.

"Must we fight?" he asked, dodging a drop kick she had mixed into the flow of the fight. He continued to dodge without fighting back, though the mid-air martial arts made it rather difficult. "I'd rather not fight if I don't have to, and just got through dealing with a second ambush this morning."

Meiling stayed loyal to her job, and simply fought harder. He began blocking her attacks, eventually being forced to fight using his magic knives. She knocked him down with a well placed kick to the chest. He heard something crack as he landed. "Damn, I just healed that rib, too..." He said as he pulled himself to his feet, and reconsidered his opponent. She was a Chinese Youkai of some form. Her skill with martial arts was comparable to his CQC instructor, and she had to be at least a century old. "I don't want to fight you, Meiling. I'm only looking for information."

"Leave." She said.

"I'm not going to." He was casting a rune onto a rock below him. "I can't go home until I can finish this."

"Finish what?" Meiling wasn't attacking him at least. May as well continue his story.

"I'm looking for a little vampire who looks like a young girl. She's killed four people, that I know of."

"The mistress of this house has never killed anyone. Leave." The mistress of the mansion, it seemed, was a young vampire girl. Joyous.

"I hadn't said- anything about the mistress." He said, wincing as he stood up. "I was following rumors to this place."

"I will not warn you again. Leave. Now. Or I shall make certain that you will never be able to return again."

"I like the wording there. Very protective, Miss Hong Meiling." Simon grinned, before jumping up and down in place for a bit. He settled into a dual knife combat stance, though he lacked the knives in physical form, his rune magic blade would work just fine, though he didn't summon them yet. "I'll have to fight my way through, then."

Meiling opened fire. Simon, still grinning, broke to the side, and unleashed a torrent of danmaku at the gate guard and the door behind her. She attempted to throw a punch at his face, before suddenly shifting her movement and attacking the chest simultaneously with her hand and knee.

Simon had been ready, and summoned his energy knives to his hands in time to parry both attacks to his chest, cutting Meiling's left hand open. The blood inside seemed white with all of the magic inside. She fell, only to pull herself back to her feet.

"You want another round." He observed. "I'll wait for you to be ready."

"There's no need. Meiling, stand down." A surprisingly powerful voice said from the doorway. The voice belonged to a slightly short woman who's magic seemed divided into clean sections of grey, green, blue, and red. She had to be a magician, and a skilled one at that, with that degree of organization. "I was expecting him to arrive." Meiling grunted, and went back to leaning against the wall next to the gate.

"You were expecting me?" Simon asked, genuinely surprised. "I'm honored to meet you. My name's Simon MacGregor."

"I am Patchouli Knowledge, the Librarian of this mansion. Alice Margatroid mentioned you."

"My reputation precedes me, it seems. I understand human magicians are rather uncommon in these parts." Simon said, as Patchouli discreetly cast spells to identify his intent.

"That is indeed correct. The idea of using runes as a method for casting magic when there isn't enough magic in the air to use a spell directly is fascinating. I wish to speak with you of this branch of magic."

"I would be honored to accept." Simon said, stepping through the gate. Meiling glared at him out of the corner of her eye as he passed by.

**[Springtime – Scarlet Devil Mansion Lobby – Mid-day]**

He followed her into the mansion. A quick glance to either side told him that the mansion was indeed bigger on the inside, with the hallways going on for the better part of a mile to either side. Someone was capable of space time distortion here, and his gut told him it wasn't the magician he was following. She stopped in front of one of the doors. "Don't touch any of the books. It's hard enough with one human magician stealing from me."

**[Springtime – Scarlet Devil Mansion Library – Mid-day]**

"I understand." He knew how valuable a library was for a magician, especially as his family, himself included, had all learned the basics reading from an ancient tome. Stealing books from the collection was something akin to stealing a mage's history. And what a history it was, he realized, seeing the sheer size of the library, which seemed to rival the size of the mansion it was in. Considering the space time warping already present, such a thing was quite possible. "...This is amazing." He eventually said.

"Indeed." Patchouli said, sitting down at a table hidden behind one of the bookshelves. "I'd like to hear of how you came to learn the art you practice."

Simon sat down across from her. "It's a fairly long story. My grandfather was a scholar when this began. He was studying ancient texts that had no translations published, and came across a tome, entitled The Art of Magick, by one Father MacGregor."

"Your family's name. There's more to this story than I am being told."

"Naturally." Simon nodded. "I'm leaving out some of the conjectures I have made over the years researching my family history. The name may even be little more than a coincidence, though to be honest, I doubt it. In any case, the book, written in Gaelic, contained an in-depth analysis of the mechanics of mana runes, and quite a few example runes, complete with explanations of their respective purposes. My grandfather determined to learn and expand upon the art."

"And he taught his children, who taught their children?" Patchouli asked dryly. Interesting that the concept bothered her.

However, it wasn't the truth. "Not the case. My father disliked using magic, and became an investigator. He died at work one day. The official records are completely blacked out on that matter. I learned from my grandfather."

"Your grandfather seems to be important to this story." Patchouli sipped at the Tea.

"I owe a good chunk of what I am to him, good and bad." he responded. "He was an amazing man. He sought work with one of the few active exorcists at the time: one Abraham Van Hellsing."

Patchouli broke into a coughing fit, startled. "You are referring to the Abraham Van Hellsing? The man who defeated Dracula himself?"

"One of two. Dracula was resurrected once." Patchouli's eyes widened. It was almost comical. "Yeah, my grandfather was the one who defeated him the second time. Was in the 1940s, and the one responsible turned out to be a god pretending to be a human. From what I understood, he was actually less of a threat than the vampire he thought would destroy the world. Dracula died that day, and his ashes were scattered to the winds." Simon knew his grandfather's version of the story by heart, and had read Prof. Van Hellsing's take on it once.

"You are descended from that man?" Patchouli asked.

"I was also trained by him." A thought occurred to him. "Oh wow, I hadn't added that up." He covered his face in embarrassment. "I forgot you work for a vampire yourself. Has to seem scary with a member of a family of exorcists chatting calmly with you."

"Just somewhat worrisome, yes."

"I do not intend to harm your mistress, unless she turns out to have been the vampire who has been killing those from the outside world."

"That's good to hear." A voice said from behind him. The owner put a knife up to his throat from behind him. "Now what are you here for?"

"Give me a moment." Simon said to Patchouli. Without turning around, he spoke to the woman behind him. "Physically young, roughly mid to late twenties. Preferred weapons are knives of all sorts, though you carry stilettos for ease of travel. You're older than you seem however. A vampire's ghoul, likely, which helps explain that oh-so-wonderful ability to stop time that you used there. You're here to act as the mistress's maid and bodyguard, and in that respect, you are extremely skilled. You came to listen in when you found Meiling seething over having been unable to finish fighting me."

Well, Patchouli seemed halfway impressed. "And just how do you know so much."

He smirked. "I heard you when you released time as I sat down. You use a pocket watch to help keep track of time while you're stopped, which I heard. My hearing's not good enough to tell me the material, I'm afraid, but given that I had deduced your role here, I'd wager it's a hand-wound watch, silver if I were to judge by the décor." He stretched slightly in his seat, and settled himself as he felt a second knife near the back of his neck. "As for the knives, I've had one too many situations like this to not be able to tell the difference, let alone be intimidated. If I needed to escape, all I'd need is to move to my left, duck, and flip the chair. The end result is that you're thrown into the bookcase behind me."

He turned around to face her, she merely shifted her knives to maintain them where they were. "I don't need to, however, so I would appreciate it if you would kindly move your knives away from my throat." He was still smiling. "I am Simon MacGregor, I'm an investigator, and I'm trying to find a vampire responsible for at least four deaths in the outside world. And you are?"

The maid was silent, but moved her knives away and leaped back several feet to the railing. She wanted space in case he decided to be hostile. Simon sighed, and turned back to Patchouli. "Sorry for that. My first instinct for somebody treating me as a hostage is to grandstand."

"How did you know she was a maid?" She asked, calming down now that there wasn't going to be blood spilled in the library. "You hadn't mentioned."

"The mansion's clean. That takes a maid. It takes a maid with a degree of control over the space time continuum to keep a mansion that's bigger than it is on the outside clean. I heard the sound she made when she stopped time to reach me. The air didn't flow away from where she landed towards where she was. It popped lightly as air rushed to fill a sudden gap. The sound's unique to the motion. From there it's connecting facts."

"You're dangerous." The maid said, still keeping a knife in each hand.

"I was invited in by Miss Patchouli, and was intending on engaging in a discussion about how the mana runes I use work. Runes such as the ones that let me see directly that you are indeed a ghoul, and are in fact rapidly approaching your 50th year alive despite your youthful appearance." The power restraining runes on his bandages glowed slightly as Patchouli cast a spell on herself. To him it was as if his sight became slightly darker as the runes overcompensated. He set the detail aside for a moment. "I will not deny that I can indeed be dangerous, and I am certain that those down in the human village who had tried to ambush me in bed this morning would agree with that assessment, likely adding that they believe me to be a Demon or Youkai of some sort, of which I am neither. I am as human as you are."

"Interesting," Patchouli said, drawing their attention. "those bandages of yours are thoroughly enchanted so as to limit the magic that can pass through. I take it that you chose that as a result of magical overload?"

"Partially. The risk of overload came with the cursed weapon that had damaged my eyes." Simon mentally asked himself how many times he would end up repeating this story. It was almost getting old. "The aforementioned weapon has since been destroyed through controlled overload." The maid was fingering the stilettos in her hands. Simon turned to her. "Yes, the weapon belonged to me. The wound came from my own errors." The maid stopped, gripping her knives.

"You've mentioned that the vampire you're chasing caused that wound." Patchouli said.

"I have indeed. I consider it due to my own errors nonetheless. I cornered a scared creature that I had let gain control of my knife, and I wasn't focused on finishing the battle as fast as possible with as little damage as possible. That combination, and the mindset that led to that situation, were my errors, and mine alone." Simon said.

Patchouli stood up. "Please wait here. I intend to request the mistress's permission in allowing you to stay here under supervision. Sakuya, make sure he doesn't try anything."

The maid nodded, and the magician left, leaving the room in silence. "You were a vampire hunter before you met your mistress, were you not?" Simon asked, watching a shape move around the bookshelves on the other side of the room.

Sakuya started, surprised at his observation. "You shouldn't attempt to coerce me, MacGregor."

"Miss Sakuya, that is not on my mind unless your mistress is the one responsible for the deaths of four innocent humans." he scolded her, "To be perfectly honest, I doubt she is. I'm just trying to make some conversation."

"Then leave it." she said. "It doesn't matter."

"Eh," he said, yawning. "I'll look it up when I get back home." He relaxed into his seat, seemingly asleep, but muttered under his breath, "I just hope I get back in time for my funeral. Don't want to see her cry."

**[Springtime – Scarlet Devil Mansion Library – Late Afternoon]**

Several hours had passed when Patchouli finally returned. The time in between had been spent in silence, with Simon watching a young female demon attempting to handle the books on the other side of the room, a task made more difficult by the fact that some of the books didn't want to be on shelves, or disliked other books. He averted his sight from the amusing display to observe the magician as she reentered her library.

"Greetings, Lady Patchouli." Simon said. There was a small vampire, several centuries old at least, walking behind her. She carried an air of superiority with her, and given his inexperience with combat, decided to play to her ego and give her the first and last words.

Patchouli nodded her greetings back to him, before saying, "The Mistress of the Scarlet Devil Mansion wished to speak with you."

The vampire smiled at that entrance, and turned to her maid. "Sakuya, Patchouli, you may serve as you wish. I do not need your services at the moment." Patchouli flew off to assist the young demon without a word. Sakuya nodded, and left, leaving her alone with him at the table. "You are very polite, compared to out previous guests."

"I'm glad to hear the compliment, even with that qualifier." he responded.

She smiled, and sat down in a chair across from him. "How do you feel, meeting a vampire for the first time outside of a fight?" Probing without heeding the consequence. She certainly felt in control. Pity he had to end that delusion somewhat early.

He chuckled, and smiled sadly. "It's far from my first time meeting a vampire on friendly terms. My old partner was a vampire, and a good friend."

"What happened?" She caught the subtext.

"A thug shot his head, managed to cause some brain damage. He went on a rampage that night, killed seven people, including three fellow agents. I ended up putting him down." He felt like he was supposed to cry. He didn't have tear ducts anymore, though. "Fuck, it still hurts to think about that night." He maintained his smile, and shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Sorry about the language, it's just..."

"He was close to you." the vampire finished.

"Yeah." he said. "We were good friends. Had just gotten used to having a diurnal partner when this assignment came in."

She stiffened, flexing her claws. "What is your assignment, then?"

"I'm trying to find a vampire that had been hunting in the outside world. She fled to Gensokyo." She relaxed somewhat. "My lack of proper sight certainly isn't a help, either. I can see your wings clearly enough, however, to know they're the same type. Do you mind if I ask you a question about your librarian? I have the feeling she'd try to hide it."

"Ask your question, human." She hung an implied threat on that last word. He had defeated stronger vampires, but he didn't know how well he'd fare with the spellcard system.

"Is Lady Patchouli anemic?"

"What?"

"I am asking if she's anemic, because it's the most common symptom of regular blood loss, implying you feed from her blood. Reasonable, as her magic means you would only need to feed from her and she could still function fairly well." Simon explained.

"Call me Remilia, if you would, Simon." The vampire said after a moment, "She indeed does have anemia from my feeding from her. My sister does not feed from her, however. That role is shared between several of the fairy maids."

"Then you wouldn't feed from someone outside the mansion except in an emergency, and even then, you wouldn't kill your prey." Simon said, standing. "Besides, Remilia. You're not the coward that vampire is."

"You refer to the vampire you're chasing." She said.

"Yeah. Unless your sister was missing for about half a week a short while back, then this mansion isn't hiding who I'm looking for."

"My sister has shown up for supper every night since she was let out of the basement. She's not who you're looking for."

Simon watched her expression as she said that. Something had flashed momentarily. "Basements are nasty places." he said. "They leave scars."

The statement caught her off guard, but she smiled soon after. Somehow, her expression still managed not to tell him anything. "You may stay here for the next few days, given that you assist Patchouli with the matter she has been bothering me with."

"Mana runes. I will be honored to accept that offer, Lady Scarlet."

"I will leave you here, then. Sakuya will prepare a room for you by the time you need it."

"You have my thanks." Simon said, looking out across the library at the magician and the young demon. They'd need some help.


	10. Jostling

**Hey, Readers!:** Honesty's usually a good route. Every so often, I wonder why people refuse to accept that I am honest, and equally refuse to realize their own actions, let alone that those actions they are ignoring could have consequences. Did anyone else realize that he actually didn't need to fight Meiling back at the gate? He certainly didn't. Oh, by the way: I've finished writing the fic. Next week will be the last chapter, and the epilogue will be posted at the same time.

Disclaimer here: Touhou belongs to the mortal god of drunkenness himself, ZUN. I also don't own the concepts of paper airplanes, life force, martial arts, or cliffhangers. Enjoy.

* * *

><p><strong>[<strong>**Springtime – Scarlet Devil Mansion Library – Evening****]**

"As far as I understand it, magic is life itself." Simon said as he sat down across from Patchouli. "Consequently, anyone who chooses to do so could take up the pursuit."

"Then why wouldn't it be more widely used? Magic was developed by simple beasts at first, and was refined into an art later, but only Youkai and humans eating certain foods can use it."

"As can I. Runes do require a relatively small amount magic to cast. Certain varieties of mushroom contain large amounts of magic, which would be why Marisa eats them. The catch is that for a magician to convert their life into the effects known as magic, it requires losing that life."

"Would that not mean that you have been shortening your own lifespan by casting runes?"

"Not quite. Anything that would sustain life could give enough to regain the lost portion. The body isn't being worn down by the casting. You should be aware that the only result of casting too much at once is exhaustion. The body literally runs out of energy to use, and starts to fail." He pulled out a sheet of paper from his sleeve, and placed it on the table. "Full failure is rare; it's happened to me twice in my lifetime. I was left in medical care for a week following both instances, slowly recovering my health."

"Intriguing. Logically, it would follow that certain rules apply to the nature of runes, however."

"Runes are patterns for the magic to flow through. They serve as the rules. It's not so simple as to say that a rune means fire, or protection. The rune itself is left as little more than writing without magic flowing through it."

"Even so, two different runes could not serve the same purpose, so the shape isn't meaningless."

"It can be, though that is essentially casting a spell while touching it. My grandfather described it to me like this: think of runes as a material, like glass. Glass can be a goblet for a fine wine, a sturdy window, or decorative beads on a necklace. It can be any shape, but that shape will determine how it is used. The shape is not a property of the glass, and neither is the shape of the rune a property of the rune."

"The phrasing suggests otherwise, but the point, if I understand it correctly, is that the rune's shape, while influencing the magic in a specific manner, does nothing but shape the magic, and so could not act on its own."

"Not without a constant input of magic. Autonomy is possible, although it requires a degree of control, and can be extremely draining if not done correctly."

"It would still require constant magic, implying either a constant connection, or a source of magic contained near the rune."

"Your logic is correct. The theory behind autonomy was the basis for the design of a draining rune, which is the easiest of cursed runes to make, as well as one of the most deadly. I'm afraid a good chunk of my knowledge of the art came from combat, and planning for it." His smile dropped slightly, before perking up again. "There are plenty of purposes that aren't immediately violent for autonomic runes, though."

"Any that would be safe to demonstrate in here?"

"There's one I use occasionally for scouting. I called it the wing rune, though it's somewhat different from what one may expect." He gestured to the paper. "Would it be fine for me to demonstrate it with this, since it's available?"

"Feel free."

"Alrighty then. I'll work slowly." He focused a small touch of magic onto the tip of his finger, before moving it steadily across the paper, leaving a faintly glowing line. Patchouli leaned closer, observing the process carefully. He drew an arc, and then a second mirroring it. From each arc he drew several smaller arcs, giving the rune the appearance of an abstract pair of wings. He then connected the two large arcs together with a circle, and began inscribing a complex series of patterns around the inside. He eventually finished some five minutes after he started. "This is the rune." He said, "The "wings" serve the main purpose of the rune, but the far more complex circle, here, serves as the link to the caster, who in this case will be myself. It needs to be that complex because it requires that the magic link cannot break, and ensures that should the rune be destroyed, the magic will return to me, instead of leaving my life force hanging in midair."

He rested his fingers on the circle. "Lady Patchouli, I'd recommend you stand back. The rune has a tendency to fly upwards when activated." She sat back in her chair as he pushed some magic into the rune, triggering it. The paper flew about a foot into the air, before the bottom half seemed to eat itself, coming out of the back of the sheet as a pair of loose wings. The paper remained hovering in the air, flapping its wings gently.

"The rune draws material from the surface?"

"It will draw whatever material it is in contact with, and then makes sure that the material is effective as wings, lessening the weight of the whole object. This example very much under my control."

She was fascinated. "You would use something akin to your magic sight to see with it for scouting, I assume."

"Precisely. I'd want to use ink if I were to make a paper scout, and in that case I would in all likelihood also weaponize it with a minor explosive rune, so that it can destroy the traces of its own existence, or open a lock, or whichever purpose."

"You didn't do anything other than the wings here, however."

"I just wanted it to fly a bit. I could give it instructions for it to act on its own, but that's more a matter of mental organization than casting spells."

"I doubt I would have too much difficulty in that respect."

"No," he said, laughing, "I sincerely doubt that would be very difficult for you, considering how you organized your magical core." She stared at him, surprised. He tapped his bandages again. "Magic sight. I see magic, or rather, I see life. In the outside world, there's very little in the air to channel into the rune, so I could barely tell if something was enchanted."

"By what means did you manage to maintain such scouts, then?" She gestured to the flying paper, which responded by flying in a circle before returning to hovering.

He grinned. "I ate cake a short bit before. Sweets are good for getting short-term energy."

She smiled at the comment. She had learned the magical benefits of sugars herself. "I see. You mentioned that runes were a medium for magic, so there would be a way to do something such as conjuring an element?"

"Of course, though oftentimes it can be easier to simply do the task directly, rather than use an element. Create heat, rather than fire." They continued discussing the various mechanics of runic magic for the next few hours.

**[Springtime – Scarlet Devil Mansion Library – Midnight]**

Sakuya came in, interrupting a discussion on the merits of summoning demonic entities for the sake of simple tasks to tell Simon that his room was prepared.

"Thank you," he said, "It appears we should wrap up for tonight. Thank you for this discussion, Lady Patchouli." He stood up, and followed Sakuya out of the room.

**[Springtime – Scarlet Devil Mansion Lobby – Midnight]**

Meiling was meditating in the front walkway, though she snapped to her feet as he passed through the lobby. She glared at him, daring him to attack. She wanted to finish the fight. He felt the same, but now wasn't the time. His body needed sleep.

**[Springtime – Scarlet Devil Mansion "Guest Room" – Midnight]**

His room was a small but elegant affair, which stood out compared to the overblown extravagance the rest of the mansion showed. Sakuya left him in the room without a word. He began to examine the walls out of habit. There were small holes in neat vertical columns- the room had shelves along the walls originally. Further examination revealed that the furniture was from other rooms better suited to having a guest, and the plants weren't facing the windows yet. She had prepared a storage closet as a guest bedroom. He laughed to himself when he noticed a faint aroma from the spices that had been on the shelves. It was a pity she felt a need to be passive-aggressive. Then again, he had pulled his little full-scale examination act on her, so she had plenty of reason to mistrust him. Even with his explanation, it was easier to believe that a knowledgeable person obtained their knowledge elsewhere than where they were than accept they were observant.

He slept, taking note of the clock on the wall.

**[Springtime – Scarlet Devil Mansion Lobby – 2:30 AM]**

"If you've been waiting for me to wake up, I'm afraid it would've helped if you actually woke me up sometime within the past two hours you've been here." Simon said to the vampire sitting on the chair next to the door.

"You've scared my maid." Remilia replied. "You neglected to mention you were trained as a vampire hunter. You are aware what I do with vampire hunters?"

"Well, you turned the last one that showed up into your maid. I've had some time to think back on my files. Sakuya B. Izayoi, known for her skills with a knife and sheer efficiency in combat. Born in Japan, disappeared one day searching for a vampire known as the Scarlet Devil, who stopped hunting in the area that same day." He stopped reciting what he remembered. "Not trying to scare you, Remilia. I want to finish this mess and go home; have a funeral to crash."

"I can't very well just let a vampire hunter leave here alive, you understand."

"You dislike killing." he said, "In any case, I'm not a vampire hunter. My grandfather was, his teacher was. Me, I'm an investigator, I solve crimes." He pulled himself up. "I'm certainly capable of killing a vampire, but I can assure you that if I were good at it, we wouldn't be having this conversation. I'd never have entered Gensokyo in the first place."

"Speaking of Gensokyo, how do you like my home?"

"Wouldn't want to live here. A little on the bright side, to me."

"You don't have to be awake that half of the day."

"Cute, but I'm afraid I'm blind."

She raised an eyebrow. "How blind?"

He tapped the bandages, wincing as he realized he had made a slight bruise there. "I'm missing my eyes."

She nodded. "I'll accept that. However, we still return to my original dilemma. I don't like killing, my maid and gate guard dislike you, and my librarian, while she doesn't trust your intentions, wants to continue the discussion you began today."

"Hmm..." Simon hummed lightly as he thought.

Remilia didn't give him an opportunity to speak. "Here's what I'm thinking. I'm thinking I let Patchouli finish her little interrogation, and then hand you to the gate guard, telling her to make sure you never see the other side of the gate. Sakuya will make certain you never do, regardless of the outcome."

"Here's a better option with less bloodshed. I talk with Patchouli, finish the discussion by lunchtime, grab a snack, finish my fight with Meiling, because we both want to see how the fight ends, and leave. I don't wish to deal with Sakuya more than necessary. She doesn't like me, and she's your maid; although if you don't mind, feel free to pass on my compliments. She's good enough that I would have difficulty fighting her if I was in top condition, and the Mansion is spotless." He stretched his arms. "As I've already said, the only vampire I want dead is the one that killed four innocents. Sakuya was more brutal back when she hunted vampires."

"You get paid to kill vampires. Therefore, you're a vampire hunter. Even if you aren't planning on killing me or my sister tonight, you could give away the location of my home."

"How? I go back and say, 'Hey, I just got back from another world that I could only get to because of a gap in space time, and guess what I found there! The Scarlet Devil herself! Let's go raid another world through an opening that could be anywhere in the world!' That would go over beautifully. If you show up at all, it will be in a minor addition to Sakuya's file, saying she retired, and now works in an undisclosed location." Simon said.

Remilia spread her wings, releasing a minor burst of magic. Outside, the moon turned red. To Simon, the room got slightly brighter. Slightly. He raised an eyebrow at her seemingly meaningless theatrics. She grinned. "I am no minor vampire to be trifled with, mortal human. Mage or not, you couldn't stand against me."

"Remilia. If you insist on wanting a fight, you'll have to get in line. There's a chinese Youkai and one of the four devas of the mountain in the way." That caught her off guard. "Yuugi wanted to fight me once I have some practice above ground. I promised her I'd fight her before I left Gensokyo. I will."

"If you're telling the truth, you will not live through that fight."

"If you truly believe so, go with my plan. You'll see just how strong I can be in a fair fight, right after lunch. I don't need to lie."

"We shall see, Simon MacGregor." Remilia left, the magic she had added to the room fading.

**[Springtime – Scarlet Devil Mansion Lobby – 6:36 AM]**

Simon woke up and washed himself before putting his clothes back on. The clock, assuming it was accurate, meant it was worth seeing what he could get for a quick meal. It was cloudy outside. Looked like it was going to rain by the afternoon. That was fine by him.

**[Springtime – Scarlet Devil Mansion Library – Morning]**

Patchouli had been working overnight, writing down notes and possible line of questioning after the discussion had been cut short. Simon quietly took a long route to reach her table, leaving her to her work. He ran into the young demoness from yesterday looking through the shelves. "Greetings." He said.

She jumped, and turned to him, saying, "Gah! Where'd you come from? Oh, you're the human from yesterday." She said as she recognized him, "Thanks for the help back then. Who'd think power plays would matter to a librarian's assistant?"

"I suppose the assistant could want to overtake the master, but even so, it's not exactly expected of the books. Does Lady Patchouli have you looking for something?"

"She wants me to look for books on basic magic theory."

"A good topic. I'll leave you to that, then."

He wandered off into the aisles, and eventually made his way to the table where Patchouli was still writing questions. He smiled as he sat down. "Got some interesting questions for me?"

Patchouli looked up, her eyes were straining to work properly, her magic limiting to the essentials. "When did you arrive?" she asked.

"Did you get some sleep?"

"What?"

Simon repeated his question.

"No, I was working on this..."

The paper was stacked high enough that it could hide her. "I can tell. You need some sleep, Lady Patchouli."

"I know, but I must learn what I can."

"Then we had best make this quick. Let's see," he said, grabbing the top sheet of paper. "you wanted to find out what would happen if the wing rune was cast onto flesh. The answer is that the rune takes the easiest source material available."

"But is that the skin, the muscle, the blood? Does that affect the ability of the wings to work?"

"A bit from all of the above. It pulls what's necessary for the effect, there are slight variations in the casting of the rune to make certain of that."

Remilia stepped into the room then, loudly saying, "Sakuya! I think I'll have my lunch now, if you would."

Simon smiled to himself. "It appears Remilia has found a loophole in my plan. Get some sleep, you look like hell right now." he turned to the mistress of the mansion as Patchouli slowly nodded before taking his advice right on the table. "That can't be too comfortable. Oh well, how long do you expect lunch to take?"

"I just finished." Sakuya said, walking in. "I prepared a portion for you as well, Simon."

"I'm grateful." and wondering if she's going to keep her attitude, he mentally added.

"We shall have lunch, and see how long you last against my gate guard." Remilia said, as she followed Sakuya to the Dining Hall.

"I'm looking forward to it." Simon said as he kept a short distance behind her.

**[Springtime – Scarlet Devil Mansion Gates – Mid Day]**

Sakuya had given him the lunch a human servant would have: A small, simple sandwich, with the spare ingredients. Oh well, he just needed something for the fight. Gensokyo was good for giving plenty of passive magic to fighters.

Meiling was waiting for him a short distance from the walkway. "You will not escape me this time, human." She settled into a kung fu stance.

"Always the diminutive," Simon said to himself as he jogged to the position opposite her from the walkway, and settled into his dual blade combat stance, activating the runes he had cast onto his fingers and palms. "never any respect." He smiled. "We need to finish this properly."

"Don't underestimate me." She dashed forward, cutting the distance between them instantly. Simon adjusted his stance, and sliced at her oncoming leg, before throwing a jab at her chest, which she caught, and used to throw him back. Drops of water began to fall onto the grass next to him. Alright, she knew her melee skills, Simon conceded, before flipping to his feet and firing at her.

Meiling's response was to draw a spellcard from within her dress, and activate it. _"Flower Sign - Gorgeous Sweet Flower!"_ Simon blocked the glare with his hand, and fired balls of energy where she was. She grunted once, but soon enough he was forced to start dodging the streams of rainbow-colored danmaku. He stopped focusing, and let his instinct take over, following the streams to get closer to her, before ducking around one and slashing out low at her legs, forcing her to end her card, and kick him in the face.

He shook his head, and summoned his first spellcard to his hand. Still lying on the ground, he called out,_ "Rune Sign - Explosive Touch." _a thin beam cast out from his fingertips, which he passed across Meiling repeatedly. She avoided it at first, but realizing it didn't hurt at all, laughed and charged him. Then the traces it left across her exploded, throwing her into the air where she was barely able to twist out of the way of further strikes. The card timed out as she landed, and he smirked. He had his chance to practice fighting with some of the smaller Youkai, but this was his first proper opponent since he began training himself to use the system. "Hey, do you need another day-long break?"

Her response was a palm strike that threw him back 30 feet. _"Brilliance – Rainbow Brilliance Palm!"_ She drew her legs in, gathering magic behind her feet. Simon smiled. It was time to show a better trick. _"Rune Sign – Hidden Fist!"_ He called in response, calling the respective spellcard. He traced a circle in the air just as Meiling struck, closing the distance in less than half a second. His own fist met her palm, and then the runes wrapped around his fist pulsed, throwing him to the ground, and her magic detonated just outside her fist, spinning her into the ground. He pulled himself up, and fingered his ribs. Yup, another one went. He was going to have to do something about that after the fight.

His thoughts broke as Meiling shouted, a wordless scream that forced the ground beneath her feet to sink in from the sheer pressure of the increasingly bright magic. Her eyes glowing, she said, _"Star Chi – Earth Moving Star Bullets"_. The picture of perfect calmness, she drew her arms to a spot in front of her chest, and began forming danmaku of all colors, which gathered together between her hands. Simon didn't want to try beating this spellcard. He didn't stand a chance, and didn't even have a third spellcard to use. He ran for her side, firing danmaku at the areas that her glowing ball of energy wasn't blocking. She took the hits, focusing on making sure it was so big he couldn't dodge. Simon ran up to her, and slashed at her hand, hoping that it would work.

In a sense, it did. Meiling lost control of the huge energy ball right next to her, and was blown into the wall surrounding the Mansion. Unfortunately for Simon, he was also right next to the huge energy ball when it exploded, and hit the Mansion itself. The last thing he saw before blacking out was Meiling struggling to her feet.

She slapped him across the face, waking him up. He looked into her face, and smiled. "I think that got another rib. I need practice."

"You trained as a martial artist." She accused him.

"Not as much formal training as getting into a fight with the local punks every couple days. My dad gave me a knife when they began using them. I taught myself how to even the odds."

She glared at him."Don't lie. You're better than self-taught."

He was still smiling. "Well, the local punks eventually got swapped with Youkai, Demons, Vampires, and the like, but no, I basically taught myself how to survive against someone far better than I. Eventually, I began to win against those who used to be able to wipe the floor with me. No formal training, but pretty bloody tough."

"It was my victory."

He laughed. "I'm not going to argue that. I'm stuck in the wall."

"You're a honest opponent. We should fight again sometime."

"Sorry. I've got another fight to go to, and then my funeral to attend, both after confirming something." The rainfall had gotten heavier, reminding him of the storm in the Forest of Magic, and an idea came into his head.

Meiling interrupted his thoughts. "Your funeral?"

He pulled himself out of the wall, and activated the healing rune on his chest. "Well, it'd be pretty rude not to show up at my funeral, wouldn't it?" He grinned. "Believe me, I'd love to have a rematch if I didn't have obligations."

Remilia walked up to the two fighters as they chatted, carrying a parasol. "I'd say she won."

Simon winced as a rib set itself under his chest. "I'd say that's correct. I lost consciousness when I hit the wall. She may have as well, but she got up before I was completely out."

Sakuya walked up to the trio. "You don't intend to harm the mistress?"

"Sakuya, one would think you'd have caught on by this point. I. Am. Not. Interested. In. Hurting. Innocents. Lady Scarlet has been living peacefully here."

"She got punished when she wasn't being nice, ze." a voice said from above them.


	11. Killjoy

**Hey, Readers!:** See, what I don't get is why Patchouli went from anemic to asthmatic in the fandom. She's anemic in canon, always has been. Anemia does not cause coughing fits. There's a mite of a difference. The reason for Anemia is actually the one I stated. Read some Bram Stoker.

Disclaimer here: Touhou belongs to the mortal god of drunkenness himself, ZUN. I also don't own the concepts of formality, wings, Teatime, or deities living as humans. Enjoy.

**[Springtime – Scarlet Devil Mansion – Mid Day]**

"Marisa." Simon greeted the young witch as she landed next to them. "You had something to do with that punishment, I gather?"

"Exactly! I wasn't expecting to see you getting into fights already, ze." she said. "I've got things to do here, anyway."

Sakuya shifted behind Remilia, drawing three knives in each hand. Meiling went into her stance as well. Marisa was grinning as she held her mini-hakkero in her hand. Simon stared at the standoff and began laughing.

"What's so amusing, vampire hunter?" Remilia asked, still watching Marisa in case the witch decided to make the first move.

Simon just laughed harder, struggling to speak. "You... heh." He eventually calmed himself down. "I told you. I'm not a vampire hunter, I'm an investigator. I solve crimes. Now, let's talk this out before the sheer stupidity at work here makes me laugh myself to death. Why are you here, Marisa?"

She blinked, and said, "I'm here a lot."

"Which is why the mere sight of you is enough to put the mistress of the house, her maid, and the gate guard on edge? You can lie better than that."

"She's fond of appropriating books from the library, amongst other things." Sakuya said.

"I'm just borrowing them, da ze! I've told you before-"

"Marisa." Simon interjected. "Borrowing without permission is what one generally refers to as theft. You're a witch, for gods' sakes. You know just what it means to steal books from a magician, especially an elementalist of her level."

"Technically, those books belong to me." Remilia said, flaring her wings.

"The pages do, as do the bindings which hold them. The books belong to Lady Patchouli." He said, "A magician's books are often bound to the lifeforce of the magician, so that the information inside can be reached at any time." Marisa had been shocked into silence. She was smart enough to understand the implications. He decided to spell it out anyway. "Every time a book is stolen from that library, a bit of her life is taken away." He turned to Sakuya. "You would be most likely to know. Has Lady Patchouli's anemia gotten worse as of late?"

Marisa didn't give her a chance to respond. "I'll return them tomorrow." she said, looking down in shame. She was still holding her mini-hakkero, that hand tensing. Simon put his hand over hers, stopping her from pulling it out.

He looked at her with a sad smile. "I'd be for the best when you do. She doesn't take of herself as it is. Stealing her books could very well be the thing that pushes her over the edge." Seeing he had gotten his point across, he decided to cheer her up. "Hey, if you keep the books inside the library, then there's no threat whatsoever, it's still her domain. Just keep track of what you take." He poked his chest experimentally. His ribcage was almost completely healed.

Marisa got back on her broom, and flew into the forest. Smiling, Meiling went back to her post outside the front gate. She was glad for the fight, or possibly not needing to fight Marisa, he mentally added. Remilia turned to him. "Most humans wouldn't have tried to stop the fight."

"I'm not most humans. You honestly thought I could take another fight like that? Marisa's more than capable of defeating Meiling on even terms. Meiling just proved that I'm barely on her level. That left you and Sakuya, and while either of you could probably handle her, neither of you is used to fighting alongside each other. I had a very logical reason not to want a battle to erupt right in front of me, where I'd be in the crossfire."

She smirked. "You went well out of your way to prevent it happening again."

"I've had enough needless bloodshed for the month, thanks." He waved her off, grinning as the healing rune on his chest finished its work.

"Yes, but you seem, shall I say ...invested in maintaining my Librarian's well being."

"I see your angle. Sorry, I just know how valuable a library is to a magician." Remilia accepted that, and left. Sakuya remained behind for a moment, and tried to make eye contact. Simon smiled in response. She began to turn around when he said, "Sakuya, I have to say. I'm kinda jealous. You have some peace in your life. Almost wish I had the chance." She smiled slightly, and disappeared, leaving a faint pop behind.

He chuckled, and left through the front gate, picking up a chunk of rock from the rubble. He traced some runes on it with his thumb before activating them, letting the rock grow wings and hover over his shoulder. His stomach chose that moment to growl at him. "Damn it, I missed lunch."

"Then have some Tea." Simon didn't know that voice, it wasn't Meiling. He turned to the forest to see a girl in her mid teens filled with red and white magic that chased itself around her. He didn't know that appearance either. A ying-yang girl would have been more memorable.

"Tea sounds wonderful, but I'm afraid I've never made your acquaintance. You are?" he prompted.

"Reimu Hakurei." She held a gohei in her hand, and let it drop into her other hand, like a club. Obviously she wasn't going to accept a no for an answer here.

Simon sighed. This really was a violent world he had found himself in. "Lead the way, Miss Hakurei."

**[Springtime – The Hakurei Shrine – Teatime]**

Reimu, as it turned out, was a fairly important person around Gensokyo, being the one in charge of maintaining the border around Gensokyo, as well as the balancing force when someone acts out and causes an incident.

"When you say incident, do you mean something like a hell-raven gaining nuclear power and trying to take over the world?" Simon asked when she mentioned that.

She nodded. "That was a relatively recent example, but yes. The Scarlet Devil Mansion had been involved in several other incidents, albeit of lesser degrees than Utsuho's world destruction attempt."

"Does that make my presence an incident, then?" He asked, sipping at his Tea.

"Not really. You've left chaos in your wake, but you've been cleaning up your mess. From what I heard from Marisa, you've been helping where you could."

He shrugged. "Didn't have any local money. Have to earn my keep somehow. I'll probably leave a donation here anyway."

"You would? I'm not complaining, but why?"

"It's the faith that counts, from what I understand. I'm planning on fighting an oni in a duel later. I'll need all the help I can afford. Besides, it's hard not to believe in gods when you've got a life like mine."

"A life like yours?"

"A life like mine, where I fight demonic forces every couple of months." he said.

Reimu sipped at her tea. "You have an interesting life. Any other plans you have, outside of fighting an oni?"

"I still need to find the vampire I was chasing, and get back into the outside world in time for my funeral." He smiled. He could trade information for as long as he needed. "Say, what do you know about how I got in here?"

"A gap formed in the barrier without doing permanent damage to it. The gap was closed before I had a chance to learn more."

"Do you know who would know? There's a few matters related to that I'll need answers for."

"I'm not answering them."

"That's fine. ...You were trying to find me when I left the Mansion."

"Indeed I was. Who are you, exactly?"

Yup. Just trading information. "Well, my name's Simon MacGregor..." He began.

**[Springtime – The Oni Village – Morning]**

"Hey, it's Simon!" Yuugi said. "You think you're ready so soon?"

"Good to see you too." Simon nodded, and adjusted his jacket. "You know, I think I am, Yuugi. Up for it?"

"Anytime, kid. Don't try to pull your punches."

Simon stepped back to about thirty yards from the bridge, and rose into the air, drawing his rune blades. "That'd be a bloody stupid idea." he said, chuckling. "I assure you that I have no intention of holding back. This will be difficult as it is."

She rose into the air as Reimu did the same off to the side. Reimu raised her gohei, and said, "This will be a formal duel between Yuugi Hoshiguma and Simon MacGregor. This will be Three Spellcards to Three Spellcards. The first to be knocked out, or lose their last spellcard, loses the duel. There will be nothing on the line for the victory, as it is nothing more than a challenge of strength. Are the duelists ready?"

"Yeah." "Yeah." Both Yuugi and Simon answered at the same time.

Reimu smiled, and then swung the gohei down as she floated down to the ground. "Then begin!"

Yuugi began throwing danmaku charged rocks in Simon's direction. He responded by shooting them down as they came, and tossed a shot in towards her occasionally. She responded by dodging them and firing faster, which in turn made him respond by deflecting the rocks faster. Soon enough the cavern was lit up with danmaku.

Satori sat down next to Reimu. "He's better than I expected." the shrine maiden said.

"He certainly is. He seems to have developed his skills incredibly fast."

"You don't know? I would have thought you read his mind as soon as you got the chance."

"I'd rather not, it would distract him in this case."

"What do you mean?"

"Those bandages hide his magic sight. Alice had mentioned it to you."

"I wasn't paying attention."

Yuugi had forced Simon to draw a spellcard, _"Rune Sign – Explosive Touch"_. He swiped the beam towards her, but she dodged most of it, and had almost timed the card out when one of her rocks exploded next to her, forcing her to draw her own first card. _"Mysterious Ring – Hell's Wheel of Pain!"_. Simon grinned, and began shooting around the bubbles that she was firing before dodging between them. Yuugi grinned as her spellcard was defeated. They began firing more basic danmaku to keep the pace and see who'd crack and draw their next card first.

"Hey sis, that bro fighting up there?" Orin asked as she sat down next to her.

"It's Simon, yes." Satori replied.

"He might even survive this." Reimu added.

"He's got the endurance to pull it off, that's for sure."

"Endurance?"

"Simon barely knew how to fight back. I think he's been spending the time learning how to adapt the techniques he already mastered for the spellcard system."

Reimu looked up at the two, wondering even after their discussion just how much of his past she didn't know.

Yuugi eventually pulled out a card, shouting _"Feat of Strength – Storm on Mt. Ooe!"_ Huge rock shaped danmaku began coming from the walls, giving the impression that they were being thrown around by intense and unpredictable winds. Simon tried to dodge through without drawing his own card, but a rock hidden behind another forced him to call out _"Rune Sign – Hidden Fist!"_ and slam his fist into the rocks, deflecting them. He traced two loose circles, and began to knock what rocks he could back at Yuugi, who dodged them with ease. A rock clipped him in the back, forcing him to the ground as her spellcard timed out.

Reimu was about to declare Yuugi the victor when he pushed himself to his feet. "I was hoping I wouldn't have to use this. I hate using this." He floated into the air, clutching the backs of his shoulders. He screamed _"Rune Sign – Blood Wings!"_ as he ripped his arms forward. His jacket was flung off, revealing that his shirt had been ripped apart underneath. He looked up at Yuugi, and grinned. "This is the only way I feel at home flying." Blood sprayed out from his back, forming into red wings. He raised his hands, and charged towards Yuugi, who proceeded to throw a rock into his face. He arced around it,and opened fire.

Yuugi found herself struggling to keep up with his increased speed, and drew her last spellcard. _"Four Devas Arcanum – Knock Out In Three Steps!"_ Cones of danmaku appeared around her as she drew back. Trusting his gut, Simon flew into the one of the cones, only for the area outside to be filled with danmaku right behind him. Then the cones shattered into thousands of tiny bullets, forcing him to dodge around the shards and open fire on Yuugi as soon as she was in view. She tossed one last rock at him as the spellcard broke, knocking him to the ground.

Neither of them moved. Eventually, Yuugi stood up as Simon slapped his chest, activating the healing rune. Yuugi walked over to him. "I wasn't expecting you to pull something like that out."

"Didn't know I could do it within the spellcard rules. Who won?"

Yuugi laughed as she pulled him to his feet. "My card canceled first. Congratulations. You've won your first match ever."

"I hope you don't take this personally, but I'd rather not have a second-" He stopped as he winced. "I'm not sure I'd make it through alive."

"You could have." a voice said from beside him. Simon turned to face a black tear in reality, with a person inside with purple magic. "Don't be so modest."

"I see we received an audience." Simon observed, before turning back to the woman. "I don't believe I ever caught your name."

"Yukari Yakumo. You have some questions for me, I assume?"

"I've had some since the Human village. However, we still haven't had an official ruling from our judge." He turned to Reimu, who was now flanked by Okuu and Satori, with Orin lying on Satori's lap. She was staring blankly at them. He walked up to her and waved his hand in front of her face. "...You there?" he eventually asked.

A gap opened behind her, and Yukari smacked her upside the head. That shook Reimu out of it. "Simon won. I can't say I was expecting that."

"Reimu, you were left in blind shock for over a minute." Orin said.

"I'm not that easily surprised-" Reimu started to say.

"Yes you are." Satori said from right next to her. "Simon, Yukari, you have my permission to feed yourselves from the kitchen."

Yuugi wandered off towards her house, grinning. The fight lived up to her expectations, it seemed. Yukari opened a gap leading into the kitchen. Simon could barely see through it. "After you," she said.

Simon mentally shrugged, and hopped through, landing comfortably next to the table, where there was some food waiting for him. Koishi had seen him coming from the entrance to the underground, it seemed. "So, I may as well ask the most important question first, Yukari."

"Go on."

"Do you know where the vampire I've been hunting is?"

"Yes."

He resisted the urge to throw something at her. "Where?"

"In the Forest of Magic."

"Anything you can tell me about what state she's in?"

"Crushed by a falling tree."

"The storm."

Yukari pulled out a sandwich and began eating it.

"Right, that wasn't a question. Next topic, why in the nine hells were you hanging around the human village?"

"There are only three hells. One was here, one's in Makai, and the last is controlled by the Yama."

"Answer the question, Yukari."

"Fine. You were fascinating to me. You're a truly odd example of a human."

"I'll take it as a compliment. Last question. What do you know about the gap in the border that got me into Gensokyo in the first place?"

Her playful demeanor dropped. "You didn't open it?"

"I wouldn't be walking everywhere if I had the ability."

"Someone from the outside world opened that gap. You might have someone trying to kill you."

"Might? I've pissed off gods, Yukari, the question is who did I piss off enough for them to rip a hole into another world and try to toss me in?"

"I don't spend much time in the outside world, so you'll have to find out on your own."

"I'm an investigator. I can handle that."

Reimu walked in alongside Satori and Koishi. "Glad to hear it." she said. "Mind explaining exactly what that last spellcard was?"

"Which, _"Rune Sign – Blood Wings?"_ he asked, "I can't cast spells during a spellcard duel unless they're danmaku."

"Yes, we went over that when you were at the shrine."

Simon nodded. "The rune's carved onto my back, I just call it out as a spellcard, allowing for it to cancel if I'm hit hard enough while using it. That way I can take advantage of the maneuverability it gives me."

Koishi offered the food on the plate to Yukari, who took it, and began eating quietly while listening to the conversation. Satori sighed, and began preparing something small in the background.

"But I don't see how you just did that, sometime in between talking to me at the shrine and fighting Yuugi."

Simon scratched the back of his head. "Well, you see, it goes something like this: I didn't make that spellcard until the fight had already started. The spellcard rules enforce themselves here."

Satori looked at him. "He knew that the rules would enforce themselves that way from the discussions he had with Lady Patchouli."

"You had discussions with Patchy?" Reimu asked.

"Yeah. She needs to take better care of herself, anemia isn't something to play around with." For most people. He did meet a kid who had killed his anemia once, but that was a different matter entirely.

"Just how busy have you been, Simon?" Satori asked. Simon thought about his experiences through Gensokyo. Definitely somewhere between very busy and extremely busy. "Ah. That busy."

"I figured that would get it across." He said, grinning.

"What do you plan on doing now?"

"Leaving. Yukari, is there any way for you to open a gap to the outside world at a specific time? There was a half-year jump, at least, when I came here."

"Easily. You want to go back home so soon?"

"I have a funeral to attend. I figure I should be arrive in the outside world early morning September fourth, year 1987. Up for it?"

"Done. You're an interesting character, Simon." She snapped her fingers and opened a pitch black gap.

"Reimu, Satori, pass on my regards. Sayonara!" He stepped through the gap, and landed on concrete.

**[September 4, 1987 – Chicago, Illinois – 6:64 AM]**

Simon found himself standing of a back alley only to see that it was incredibly dark out. Only the barest hints of magic showed in the cracks of the walls, and everything else was just gone. Blinking, he realized the problem, and unwrapped the bandages from around his head. The magic sight gave him full detail without them on in the outside world. Nonetheless, he'd need something to hide the wounds. He glanced out of the alley to see his apartment across the street. He smiled, and after tucking the bandages into his jacket pocket, quickly crossed the street into the alley behind the apartment and climbed the fire escape up to his room. Seeing that the door was still locked and his stuff was still there, he cast his rune blade and sliced a hole in the window. Gently pushing it into the room, he pulled himself in, and put the glass back behind him.

He pulled some fresh bandage wrap from his bathroom cabinet. This would serve perfectly.

**[September 5, 1987 – Chicago, Illinois – 8:42 AM]**

Sure enough, they were having his funeral at the graveyard outside the headquarters, or at least the office building that served as a cover for it. Marilyn was there, along with several other agents, and his boss, Sol Arikado. He stayed in the back throughout the ceremony, but when it came time to pay individual respects, he went up before everyone else, and faced the coffin. That caused a minor stir as his coworkers tried to figure out who he was. The priest who was in charge of the funeral was about to ask him to leave when he smirked, and said, "The coffin's a little too small, I think."

"What?" the priest asked intelligently.

"I don't think that I'd fit in there, is all. I mean, I take the time to find a serial killer, I'm missing for a couple days and bam! Funeral for me back home."

Marilyn looked up at him, crying. "Simon?" she asked.

"Yup." He turned to face his coworkers, smiling. "As you can see, rumors of my demise on the job were, indeed, false." The bandages wrapped around his eyes glowed faintly as it started to rain. "Sorry about the worry, but I had to recover from unexpected circumstances."

Sol recovered first. "I'll expect a written report on my desk by Friday, MacGregor."

"Certainly. Actually, Mr. Arikado? Do you mind if I speak to you in private?"

"Certainly." Sol's blank expression was slipping. "There's a quiet area over there."

"Well, I'd just like to tell you something." Simon said as he walked out to a path a few rows away. He lowered his voice. "Next time you try to kill me, Sol, you'll have to do better than throwing me into another world. The most you were able to do that way was make me stronger." He left to talk with Marilyn and a very confused priest, leaving Sol to glare at his back.


	12. The End

**Hey, Readers!:** So it's over. This epilogue serves as an infodump for the MacGregor's story, or at least, some of the elements to it. Thus, we have the files presented here. I'll make a note on my profile if I intend to write something more as fanfiction, or if I'll continue this as purely original work. There's a bit of both. There's a little extra for those who read through to the end.

Disclaimer here: Touhou belongs to the mortal god of drunkenness himself, ZUN. I also don't own the concepts of Bram Stoker, legacy characters, omake, or England. Enjoy.

** [The MacGregor's]**

The MacGregors are a family of exorcists. This practice actually began before Victor MacGregor discovered the tome from which he learned magic. The earliest known MacGregor was a Father MacGregor in the dark ages, who discovered the basics of runic magic, and after a career as an exorcist, and as his name would suggest, a priest, he studied the art thoroughly, publishing the book in secret. He trained his nephew in the arts of swordsmanship and exorcism, and the line began from there.

Skip ahead to the 20th century. Victor MacGregor, a law student, decides to regain his family's previous reputation as some of the best exorcists alive, and begins training under the well known exorcist Professor Abraham Van Hellsing, who had defeated Dracula himself, albeit with the help and sacrifice of several good men. During his training, Victor finds the tome his ancestor had written, and develops it into a practical method for defeating supernatural creatures that would be otherwise impervious to attacks.

Rumors of a cult attempting to resurrect Dracula from the dead worry Prof. Van Hellsing, and he takes Victor along with him to investigate the rumors, and defeat Dracula if necessary. The cult turns out to have been led by none other than the god of the sun, walking the earth, so beget on vengeance for the lack of worship that he seeks to bring back the greatest evil it had faced in recent years. The god's name, of course, is Sol. Sol is defeated, but not before successfully bringing back the vampire as a brand new creature. Dracula regains his memories during a final battle between the two exorcists and the vampire, and spends his last breath apologizing to Mina, whose life and soul he had nearly destroyed before.

Victor has a son, Fredrick, who distances himself from his father's interest and training in magic. The increased animosity between the two results in the son continually leaving to get into street fights, where he picks up skill with a knife. Fredrick has a successful career as a researcher for a secret government agency, the UAD. One day, however, an attack, which as later investigations revealed was funded by Sol, having been reborn, seals off the complex. Fredrick is never seen again. His wife is killed in an unrelated crime, and so his son, Simon, is sent to his grandfather, Victor.

Victor had come to regret how he raised his son, and looking at his grandson as a second chance, raises Simon to be a good exorcist, and does his best to serve as a father figure. Unfortunately, his poor judgment in this matter leads to Simon developing a complex in relation to the value of life. Simon goes on to work under Sol for the UAD. It's in the UAD that he meets Marilyn, whom he will later marry. Sol attempts multiple times to kill Simon on the job, but after a trip into another world, Simon loses his eyes, and gets over his complex. Soon after confronting Sol about his attempts, Simon is able to get Sol convicted and given the death sentence.

Simon has a son with Marilyn named Damien. The astute reader will note that none of these names possess even remote similarity between them by this point. It's family tradition, started sometime before Victor was born. Damien grows up a rebellious child, but after Sol hijacks a global network and attempts to destroy humanity directly, Damien decides to defeat him by any means possible.

** [Simon MacGregor]**

Simon has an interesting character arc through here, to me. When the story begins, he has numbed out most of his emotions for the sake of functioning, and works for someone who wants him dead. He's skilled enough to survive to this point, and so it's no surprise that he has the skills necessary to live through his trip to Gensokyo. He's decently charismatic, given that he is kinda a prick, albeit one with good humor. Throughout the chase scene, however, he becomes more and more sadistic, savoring the kill. This was, in part, Sol's secondary with the attempts to kill him, but then a life changing event happens.

He loses his eyes, and consequently must relearn most of how to fight. It's not too long after he leaves Alice that the storm begins, killing the vampire. The Yama had demanded that Tenshi cause a storm to force Simon to take cover underground, so that he would take his chance to recover and improve himself. Tenshi went farther than expected, however. Nonetheless, Simon manages to find himself interacting with the oni underground, and he begins the next day getting into a fight with Yuugi, who kicks his ass.

During the time he spends recovering, he is forced to reexamine his past, and breaks his complex. After this, he learns the basics of fighting under the spellcard system, and proceeds to track down the vampire he believes is still alive. During this time, he manages to cause a small uproar in the human village, and after disabling an ambush, leaves to check out the Scarlet Devil Mansion. While there, he meets: Remilia Scarlet, the mistress of the mansion; Patchouli Knowledge, the Librarian and master magician; Hong Meiling, the gate guard; and Sakuya Izayoi, a former vampire hunter who had become a maid in the years since her disappearance. While Patchouli is unable to help, the runic magic he uses intrigues her to the point where she required medical care, especially with her Anemia being involved. He (temporarily) convinces Marisa to return the books she has stolen, though she does limit herself from then on (not Touhou canon). Reimu then gets involved, and with her usual haste and bluntness manages to put him on the right track towards getting home. After a quick duel with Yuugi, he leaves Gensokyo, and likely doesn't return.

After the case, however, he takes the time to crash his own funeral, and proceeds to inform Sol of his knowledge of the situation, in other words, that Sol wouldn't be able to get away with his attempts at killing off the MacGregor bloodline.

** [Extra! Extra! Read all about it!]**

**[August 14, 2005 – Chicago, Illinois – 6:32 PM]**

Simon was walking home from a call. He had opened up a private agency after getting Sol to serve a life sentence without bail on charges of murder. People called him to investigate mundane things, but those "in the know" would call on him to deal with supernatural mysteries when they occurred. Marilyn had become a police officer, and walked a beat in the morning.

He was considering buying something for her when he noticed a sign in the window of an import shop. "To celebrate the release of the ninth Touhou game, we are holding a sale on all of Reimu's previous adventures in Gensokyo!" The sign went on to list prices for the various games. Simon slapped his face, muttering about gap youkai who couldn't leave people alone.

* * *

><p>My next fic will either be something completely original, or a TouhouPersona crossover. If I'm doing the latter, I'm going to make sure I do it right, not just pile characters together and see what happens. That means actually plotting out a metric crap-ton of character arcs, building up a mystery, and redefining relationships. If I go with something original, though, It'd be something about Simon's former partner, or possibly his father's story. They're both interesting to go through in my head. I'll post whichever I decide on my profile on September 3, 2011. Thanks for reading.


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